View source for Monarchism in Iran

{{Short description|Political movement in post-revolutionary Iran}}
{{Monarchism in Iran}}
[[File:Standard of the Shahanshah of Iran.svg|alt=|thumb|Personal Standard of the [[Shah of Iran]] before the 1979 Revolution: the [[Lion and Sun]] [[Flag of Iran]] in the canton with [[Emblem of Iran|Pahlavi Coat of Arms]] on a turquoise field ([[Turquoise (color)|turquoise]] is the colour of monarchists).]]
'''Iranian monarchism''' ([[Persian language|Persian]]: پادشاهی‌خواهی در ایران) is the advocacy of restoring the [[monarchy]] in [[Iran]], which was abolished after the [[Iranian Revolution|1979 Revolution]].

==History==
{{See also|List of monarchs of Iran|History of Iran}}
Iran, in its various known forms, beginning with the [[Median dynasty]], was a monarchy (or composed of multiple smaller monarchies) from the 7th century BCE until 1979.

It first became a constitutional monarchy in 1906 under the [[Qajar dynasty]], but underwent a period of autocracy during the years 1925&ndash;1941 during the rule of [[Reza Shah]], who, after staging a coup d'état that led to the founding of the [[Pahlavi dynasty]], imposed self-rule. Parliament became a rubber stamp, the press was censored and the [[Communist Party of Persia|Communist Party]] and [[trade union]]s banned.<ref>Townson, Duncan, ''The New Penguin Dictionary of Modern History 1789-1945 (Second Edition)'', Penguin, 2001, p. 459</ref> After Reza Shah's abdication in 1941, the [[Majles of Iran|Iranian National Assembly]] was restored to power. During the years 1941 to 1953, Iran remained a constitutional monarchy and active [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]] with Shah [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] retaining extensive legal executive powers.

On March 15, 1951, the National Assembly, led by Prime Minister [[Hossein Ala]], unanimously voted to nationalize the oil industry, which at the time was dominated by the [[Anglo-Iranian Oil Company]] (now [[BP]]). In 1953, the British [[MI6]] and American [[CIA]] orchestrated a coup against [[Mohammed Mossadegh]]'s government. Agents fueled rumors that the republican-minded Mossadegh was planning on abolishing the monarchy and declaring himself president of a new Republic of Iran, leading to a pro-monarchist backlash from the public and leading to a successful result in the coup against the prime minister.

The Shah, who had gone into exile during the coup, returned to Iran and named General [[Fazlollah Zahedi]] as the new prime minister. Many contemporary sources attribute the coup, or counter [[coup]], entirely to the [[United States|U.S.]] American [[CIA]] and agents of the British [[MI6]] who are reported to have organized and paid for it.<ref>Kinzer, Stephen, ''All the Shah's Men : An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror'', Stephen Kinzer, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, p.5, 6, 210</ref> These sources point to [[United States involvement in regime change|many other coups]] in which the CIA was instrumental, such as that in Chile in 1973. Monarchists, however, argue that the counter-coup was in fact a popular uprising, and that the foreign intelligence agencies' undeniable involvement was peripheral. At least some historians argue the coup could not have taken place without both CIA organizing and Iranian support.<ref>Keddie, Nikki R., Roots of Revolution, Yale University Press, 1981, p.140</ref><ref>Kinzer, Stephen, ''All the Shah's Men : An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror'', Stephen Kinzer, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, p.211</ref>

Afterwards, the era of constitutional monarchy gradually came to an end as the Shah increasingly exercised his executive powers unilaterally, thus leading towards the development of autocracy. By the early 1970s, with most political parties having been banned, Iran had effectively become a one-party state under the royalist [[Rastakhiz Party]]. [[National Front (Iran)|National Front]] leaders like [[Karim Sanjabi]] and moderate traditional Islamic leaders like [[Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari]] continued to espouse a constitutional monarchy.
[[File:Mohammad Pahlavi Coronation.jpg|thumb|Imperial family of Iran at the coronation of Shah Mohammad Reza in 1967.]]
Under increasing international pressure, particularly from President [[Jimmy Carter]] of the United States, the Shah pushed forward major democratic reforms in the late 1970s, designed to gradually restore the constitutional monarchy as it had originally been. However, several uprisings in 1978 and 1979 culminated in the Shah, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and had kept the fact secret, leaving the country with his family to seek treatment overseas. Within a few weeks the Shah's government had effectively collapsed and the Second Revolution had begun. The new provisional revolutionary government officially abolished the monarchy and declared Iran to be a republic. In April 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran was established, under the [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leadership]] of [[Ruhollah Khomeini]].

In the months following the Revolution, former Field Marshal of the Imperial Armed Forces [[Bahram Aryana]] organized a counter-revolution in exile. Based in [[Paris]], [[France]], with other military officials of the Imperial Armed Forces and Prince [[Shahriar Shafiq]], he established [[Iran Liberation Army|Azadegan]], a paramilitary resistance intended to help restore the constitutional monarchy. Fearing a growing counter-revolution, Prince Shahriar was assassinated in Paris in December 1979 by Khomeinist agents, which was a major setback for the monarchist resistance. Despite a number of successful operations which garnered international media attention in 1980 and 1981, the outbreak of war between Iran and [[Iraq]] officially brought any hope for counter-revolution to an end.

In the 1990s and the decade following 2000, the Shah's reputation has staged something of a revival, with many Iranians looking back on his era as a time when Iran was more prosperous<ref>Molavi, Afshin, ''The Soul of Iran'', Norton (2005), p.74</ref><ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2004/5-020204.htm Iran Report] 2 February 2004</ref> and the government less oppressive.<ref>Sciolino, Elaine, ''Persian Mirrors,'' Touchstone, (2000), p.239, 244</ref> Journalist [[Afshin Molavi]] reports even members of the uneducated poor — traditionally core supporters of the revolution that overthrew the Shah — making remarks such as 'God bless the Shah's soul, the economy was better then;' and finds that "books about the former Shah (even censored ones) sell briskly," while "books of the Rightly Guided Path sit idle."<ref>Molavi, Afshin, ''The Soul of Iran'', Norton (2005), p.74, 10</ref>

The Crown Prince of Iran, [[Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran|Reza Pahlavi]], himself does not publicly advocate the restoration of his [[dynasty]], instead stating that the matter is for Iranians themselves to decide in a national referendum whether or not to restore the constitutional monarchy with the restoration of the House of Pahlavi.<ref>[http://www.rezapahlavi.com/articles/?english&id=52 Reza Pahlavi's Next Revolution: Successor Story, The New Republic, Franklin Foer, Thursday, January 3rd, 2002] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221210613/http://www.rezapahlavi.com/articles/?english&id=52 |date=2007-02-21 }}</ref> However, the Crown Prince publicly announced his desire for western support in collapsing the current government of Iran, even suggesting himself as an interim leader for the new regime.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tim |first=Ross |date=2025-06-23 |title=Iran's exiled 'crown prince' says he is ready to take over from Khamenei |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/iran-exiled-crown-prince-country-back-ali-khamenei-reza-pahlavi/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-06-28 |work=POLITICO}}</ref> Additionally, a recently publicised email sent by British MP and suspected Mossad agent, Luke Akehurst, invites British MPs and Peers to a meeting on the 30/06/2025 where the Crown Prince will reveal his designs for collapsing Iran’s government in order to start a new regime.<ref>[https://x.com/AaronBastani/status/1938625721095561607 Political Commentator Aaron Bastani reveals Luke Akehurst email]</ref>

==Monarchist political parties==
* [[Constitutionalist Party of Iran]]
* [[Justice Party (Iran)|Justice Party]]
* [[Nationalists' Party]]
* [[National Union Party (Iran)|National Union Party]]
* [[Iran-e-No Party|New Iran Party (1927)]]
* [[Iran Novin Party|New Iran Party (1963-1975)]]
* [[People's Party (Iran)|People's Party]]
* [[Progress Party (Iran)|Progress Party]]
* [[Rastakhiz Party|Rastakhiz]]
* Sarbazan and Janbakhtegan

==See also==
{{Conservatism in Iran|Ideologies}}
*[[Iranian opposition]]
*[[Politics of Iran]]
*[[Political parties in Iran]]
*[[Kingdom Assembly of Iran]]
* [[List of Shahbanus of Persia]]
* [[White Turks]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://azadeganiran.com/Default.asp Azadegan]

{{Asia topic|prefix=Monarchism in}}

[[Category:Monarchism in Iran| ]]
[[Category:Restoration of the monarchy]]