The harshest ever winter in Iran began on January 19,1979. It has lasted 43 years and counting. It was on that fateful day that the late Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, faltered.
The Shah, the late king of Iran, had instructed Iran’s army and SAVAK to stand down. In doing so, the protesters got their wish. All their dreams came true (be careful what you wish for) and as the Shah taxied down the runway heading to Egypt, Khomeini rubbed his hands and licked his lips in glee. The nightmare the installation of the worst theocracy in the 20th century, had begun.
The turbulent Middle East would be an entirely different place today if the Shah had acted just a little bit differently. Here is how it all went down. Khomeini had done his homework and defined his mission. He had the backing of Jimmy Carter, who was about to make a gigantic blunder (with his support for the new regime behind the scenes). The Shah blinked, saying to himself that Khomeini has the backing of the USA and CIA, so I had better get out while the getting is good. In fact, Shah was a peace loving and zealous Iran-lover! He was the best and honest friend of Israel and the USA.
In truth, had the Shah stood his ground and put down the uprising, America would have backed down and gone away. The USA didn’t love Iran that much. Robert Armao, in an interview with me, is of the opinion that “history will be kind to the Shah” . It could be, but when examined closely, standing down spared the protestors for a short time only. Khomeini killed them anyway plus many, many, many more over the next 10 years. He was a murderous Shia mullah who wanted to imitate the rule of the Islamic caliphate.
Moreover, the massacres, which started in 1979, still go on today with the Mullahs in charge.They supported and extended the “transnational terrorist network (TTN)” in the world. Nowadays, that network is a cancerous tumor in the 21st century.
Had the Shah had the mindset of Gaddafi or Saddam this would never have happened. They would not have blinked and casually handed over the reins of power to Carter and Khomeini. The Shah was a respectable gentleman - in Middle Eastern terms - not a con artist or Islamic terrorist leader.
Ronald Reagan himself, just 2 years later, said “it was a disastrous move on the part of Carter” and how right he was!
Jimmy Carter, coming from the deep south of the United States was of opinion that Khomeini was a Holy man when in fact Khomeini himself was worse than the Devil himself. “Radical Islam” and “Clerical Fascism” have borne out how ridiculous the USA role in all of this was.
A year later, in 1980, the CIA toyed with the idea of putting Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah, back in power. How weird is that? If truth be told, the CIA had enough time to support Iranian protests for democracy in Iran.
Now 43 years later, a new generation of protestors are talking about bringing Reza Pahlavi out of exile and overthrowing Khamenei, the current tyrant of Iran, who I don’t need to remind you is a total disaster! Except crown prince Reza Pahlavi has neither zeal nor desire.
When you look at the twists and turns that have taken place in Iran over the last 43 years, you arrive back to middle of 1970’s, when a time of harmony and stability prevailed, just where the current protesters of Iran want to go. This was a time when Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon visited Iran and Iran was close ally of USA in the region, even if Iran was not an American style democracy..
The young generation realizes that the mullah’s vicious network existing today is nothing more than a recipe for disaster. They are not willing to buy into the ideology of the “Islamic Terrorist”, which is all the mullahs and ayatollahs have to offer. Take that away and guess what results?, “No more mullahs. mullahs gone”. Now, we can say: God is great!
Two years ago, as you walked the streets of Tehran with the protesters, you could hear “peace be with you Reza Shah!” along with some slogans in favor of “prince Reza Pahlavi”. They wanted Reza Pahlavi, the first Shah’s grandson, to lead the Iran of the future.
Iran protests for Reza Pahlevi
Going forward, the only chance Iran has is to get rid of these toxic, worthless mullahs and ayatollahs. These protesters need to set up their game and somehow come together in unity, with one goal in mind. Their mindset must be laser- focused on the elimination, at all costs of this dead weight (criminal mullahs and ayatollahs), an albatross around the neck of Iran and the choice of a new leader.
The famous Iranian journalist, Amir Taheri, would be in total agreement with me, he has written countless articles along the same vein. His beliefs, mine along with many others, are gaining traction minute by minute. If everything goes according to plan the future of Iran will be bright.
Through the thousand years long history of Iran different brutal leaders came to power, ruled, and disappeared. It’s a long story...
Accordingly, just 3 years ago Farah Pahlavi, the widow of the late Shah, after being insulted by the cowardly Khamenei said:” all dictators collapsed, you will be no different!”. Words to live by! The Iranians and the World will celebrate the ruin of the religious octopus in Iran and the Islamic caliphate of the Shia Mullah’s autocratic regime.
Note - The MOIS has installed many fake oppositions in diaspora. Also, numerous figures among the Iranian opposition are in relation with NIAC, a notorious pro-regime lobby in the US, or reformists in Iran’s regime. In addition, some of this nouveau riche opposition is in the hands of Saudi Arabia, and they are playing with some spoiled cards. Surely, these political dwarfs have no desire to support regime change in Iran, and surely, these incapable figures can not have a political role in future of Iran. As an example, one of them is a puppet in hands of reformists, another one is a clown, posing in front of cameras with an insatiable appetite, making a name for herself. The leopard cannot changes its spots.
How can an opportunist journalist or a populist figure be recognized as a leader, and an organizer of demonstrations insist upon being in a fake leadership’s circle? The answer is that MOIS and IRGC are making efforts to set a trap for Reza Pahlavi. It’s not a laughing matter, the regime wants to keep the pot boiling and this is how it is doing so.
These days in Iran, the young generation still exhibits a strong will to eliminate the mullah’s terrorist regime. The mullah’s notorious institution is on the edge of the precipice. The young must choose their leader wisely.
Erfan Fard is a counter-terrorism analyst and Middle East Studies researcher based in Washington, DC. He is in Middle Eastern regional security affairs with a particular focus on Iran, counter terrorism, IRGC, MOIS and ethnic conflicts in MENA. He graduated in International Security Studies (London M. University, UK), and in International Relations (CSU-LA). Erfan is fluent in Persian, Kurdish, Arabic and English. / Follow him from this twitter account @EQFARD / The newly published book of Erfan Fard is: “The gruesome mullah” , which has been published in the USA.