Abolhassan Bani Sadr joined the resistance movement against the Shah in Paris while a student at the Sorbonne. Upon his return to Iran after the Revolution, he became the first president of the Islamic Republic. His presidency was undermined by an intense rivalry with clerics close to Khomeini that led to Bani Sadr’s impeachment and escape from Iran along with MKO guerrilla leader Masoud Rajavi. Bani Sadr, who would soon denounce Rajavi for being too militaristic, lives in Paris.
