Pahlavi or Rajavi? Which is in the Interest of the Iranian People and the World?
After the 1979 Revolution, the People’s Mojahedin Organization (MEK) carried out various activities inside the country — from bombings and attacks that led to the deaths of civilians, to the killing of Americans by the organization.
Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the MEK, has repeatedly declared her opposition to Israel and her support for groups such as Hamas. Her meetings with representatives of the U.S. Democratic Party have also drawn criticism, with some analysts describing this approach as resembling the policies of the Islamic Republic.
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| Colonels Paul R. Shaffer and John H. Turner were two United States military aides to Iran. |
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| Colonel Lewis Lee Hawkins (August 8, 1930 – June 2, 1973) was a United States military aide to Iran. |
Maryam Rajavi’s meeting with a U.S. Congressman member from the Democratic Party is seen as an attempt to overshadow the crimes committed by the MEK, which included killing Americans.
Moreover, the MEK’s collaboration with Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq war remains one of the most controversial chapters in the group’s history, leading many Iranians to regard it as a terrorist organization.
In contrast, supporters of the Pahlavi dynasty highlight its achievements. Reza Shah, after the fall of the Qajar dynasty, initiated the modernization of the country and its army. Under Mohammad Reza Shah, Iran became one of the closest U.S. allies in the Middle East, even receiving F-14 fighter jets — an fighter jet that America’s ally Israel did not have access to.
At that time, Iran’s army had become so powerful that it managed to push back Iraq and some of the Persian Gulf states. For many Iranians, this illustrates the positive role of U.S.–Iran cooperation during that period.
Iranians seeking the downfall of the Islamic Republic believe that the policies of former U.S. President Donald Trump in his second term — both in containing the regime in Tehran and confronting its dubious allies such as Russia and China — were more effective than those of any other U.S. administration. Supporters of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi see him as close to the Republican Party and aligned with Trump.
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| The popularity statistics of Prince Reza Pahlavi and Maryam Rajavi(MEK) among the Iranian people. |
Many Iranians believe that U.S. and Israeli support for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi could not only help pave the way for the transition from the Islamic Republic, but also, with his leadership during a transitional government until a referendum determines Iran’s political future, eliminate once and for all the threats posed to Israel by Tehran’s proxy militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Iranians have voiced their support for President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
