The Shah’s Crown Prince visits the “enemy” of the Islamic Republic of Iran. announced Reza Pahlavi in a statement posted to Twitteron Sunday that he would travel to Israel on Monday, April 17, specifically to “restore old links” between the two countries and “to convey a message of peace and friendship on the part of the Iranian people.”
“Millions of my countrymen still remember living with their Iranian-Jewish friends and neighbors before the Islamic Revolution tore the fabric of our society,” says the son of the Shah of Iran, who attended Holocaust commemorations Yom Hashoah. will attend. “I want the people of Israel to know that the Islamic Republic does not represent the Iranian people. The old ties between our peoples can be rekindled for the good of both our nations. I come to Israel to play my part in building that bright future,” he wrote.
Although Reza Pahlavi has been in exile in the United States for 43 years, he wants to position himself as a legitimate spokesman in the eyes of part of the protest movement that has been running in Iran since September 2022.
In recent months he has increased his international travel – including a European tour in recent weeks. This visit comes as Israel is stepping up its efforts to counter Iran’s nuclear program and recently launched attacks on several targets in Syria and Lebanon linked to Iranian power. However, it could represent “part of the political risk” for Reza Pahlavi while the structuring of the Iranian opposition movement is still in its infancy, according to Thierry Coville, researcher at Iris and expert on Iran.
France 24: What is the symbolic meaning of the Iranian Shah’s son’s visit to Israel?
Thierry Coville: This is an important visit for two main reasons. There has been a protest movement in Iran since September 2022 and the Iranian opposition has never been more united and the Shah’s son is part of the multi-person committee responsible for organizing this opposition to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Furthermore, Israel is the enemy of the Islamic Republic of Iran – which completely changed its policy towards the Jewish state in the 1979 revolution, when the two countries maintained diplomatic relations during the time of the Shah (who ruled between 1941 and 1941) and in 1979, ed.). From this point of view, the son’s visit to Israel is anything but anecdotal.
Then you have to be careful. The Iranian opposition outside Iran is still in its infancy. It has never been so united, but then again, these are just the beginnings of an attempt to present a political alternative. That’s part of the strategy she’s pursuing, which is to have the widest possible international support. The Shah’s son visited the French and British parliaments in February, the European and Belgian parliaments in March… So there is logic for Reza Pahlavi to go to Israel.
How is this visit a risky political bet for Reza Pahlavi?
The Iranian opposition has criticized Reza Pahlavi’s legitimacy. Quite a few were opponents of the Pahlavi monarchy. A number of people do not accept the vision of the Shah’s son’s supporters – who would like to play a leading role in this opposition.
Reza Pahlavi poses as the leader of this opposition movement somewhere, he shows his opposition to the Islamic Republic by going to Israel. At the same time, the leadership of the movement he represents is being questioned by some from within. Therefore, this visit involves a certain political risk.
>> Also read: Reza Pahlavi, Shah’s son, legitimate spokesman for protest movement in Iran?
Can this trip cause disunity in the Iranian opposition, part of which sees him as a spokesman for demands against the Islamic Republic?
From the moment these tensions set in, some people may be put off by the leadership role the Shah’s son is trying to assume. This could increase tensions. The question of which movement should be the leader (of the Iranian opposition, editor’s note) will also arise after Reza Pahlavi’s visit to Israel. It’s early to say that this movement may be falling apart.
Currently, the Iranian people have a real balance of power with the Islamic Republic. Reza Pahlavi’s visit to Israel will not change that much. Slogans in favor of the Pahlavi monarchy can be heard on the street, but it is more a way of opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran than wanting a restoration of the monarchy.
What is the ultimate goal of the Crown Prince of Iran with this trip?
She seeks to legitimize opposition to the Islamic Republic of Iran by traveling abroad to meet leaders of the international community. Where there could be a problem, why him? He seizes the banner of the representative of this opposition.
The fact that Reza Pahlavi is making such a symbolic journey to the Jewish state alone, and given the Iranian-Israeli history and relations before and after the revolution, it is indeed an opportunity for him to lead this movement. While the question remains as to who should be at the forefront of the movement, the Shah’s son seems to be saying he is