Following the uprising in Qum, Khomeini was exiled from Iran in 1964 for his criticism of the shah. While in exile, Khomeini travled from Turkey to Iraq, and ultimately to Paris where he persisted in preaching his religious message aimed at weakening the shah’s hold on power. Khomeini’s exile afforded him the opportunity to refine his attacks against the shah, and he was able to gain stature within Iran despite living abroad. Thus, by the 1970s, he had emerged as Mohammad Reza Shah’s most potent enemy.