The annual meeting commemorates February 8, 1979, when a group of air force officers pledged loyalty to Ruhollah Khomeini in a move to overthrow the Pahlavi dynasty. Khomeini was the founder of the Islamic Republic and the predecessor of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader. The annual meeting commemorates February 8, 1979, when a group of air force officers pledged loyalty to Ruhollah Khomeini in a move to overthrow the Pahlavi dynasty. Khomeini was the founder of the Islamic Republic and the predecessor of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader.