What is the difference between a monarchist and a “Pahlavist”?
Author: Mohammad Sahimi, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, former holder of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Chair in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.
The late Ardeshir Zahedi — the Shah’s son-in-law, one of the people closest to him, and the son of the executor of the internal phase of the infamous coup of August 19, 1953, Lieutenant General [later full General] Fazlollah Zahedi — served as Iran’s ambassador to the United States and as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He remained loyal to the Shah until the end of his life and passed away on November 8, 2021.
Nevertheless, despite his life and close relationship with the Shah, the late Zahedi repeatedly defended Iran sincerely and wholeheartedly. Many years ago, he sent an article to The New York Times in which he defended Iran’s right to possess nuclear technology and to enrich uranium. The New York Times refused to publish it. As a result, he paid the newspaper $50,000 to publish the article as an “advertisement,” and it was indeed published.
At that time, I wrote on this very page:
“I have not the slightest political common ground with Mr. Zahedi. He is a supporter of the monarchy and loyal to the Shah, while I support a secular democratic republic and am a staunch opponent of the Shah and his family. However, we share one thing in common — our love for Iran.”
Mr. Zahedi learned about my post through his friends in Southern California, obtained my address from one of them, and then sent me a letter on stationery bearing the imperial emblem, in which he expressed his gratitude to me in a very kind and gracious manner. He also promised that if he came to Los Angeles, he would meet me in person, but death did not give him that opportunity.
The late Zahedi, like the late Dariush Homayoun, was a patriot. I also had no political common ground with Homayoun. However, when the threats of George W. Bush against Iran intensified, he declared that if the United States attacked Iran, he would defend his homeland alongside the Islamic Republic. The late Homayoun also praised Mir-Hossein Mousavi for managing the country’s economy during the eight-year war with Iraq and said:
“He managed Iran during the war and did it very well.”
In the mentioned old tweet (in the image above), the late Zahedi acknowledges his role in the separation of Bahrain from Iran during the Shah’s era, expresses regret, and pays tribute to one of the fallen generals by mentioning his name.
Recently, Amir Taheri, who has spent his life in opposition to the Islamic Republic, also praised the late Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
He also noted that during the Islamic Republic, the level of education in Iran has significantly increased, to the extent that Iran has three times more engineers and scientists than France. They are so skilled that when Israel destroyed a railway bridge between Tehran and Qom, they repaired it and put it back into operation within 48 hours.
In general, many long-time supporters of the monarchy in Iran are patriots. Many army officers who fought bravely during the war with Iraq and rose to high military ranks began their service during the Shah’s era and joined the armed forces at that time.
Compare this with the current “Pahlavists,” who are a group of uneducated, abusive, and dishonest individuals who, daily, commit acts of betrayal against Iran by supporting the aggression of the United States and Israel.
Although I remain opposed to monarchists, there is a significant difference between a monarchist like the late Zahedi or the late Homayoun and rootless opportunists among the Pahlavists.
