Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, is currently the most visible figure of Iran’s largest anti-government protests in years.
But the sizeable opposition to the clerical and military establishment is very diverse and fragmented and the alternatives to the Islamic Republic are far from consensual.
Here’s a rundown of the key opposition groups:
Monarchists
Iran’s last shah (or king), Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, fled the country after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and died one year later in Egypt.
Many Iranians look back with nostalgia to the pre-revolutionary era of Pahlavi’s Iranian-supported regime.
This translates into some support for a return to the monarchy and the shah’s son, who lives in exile in the US, has plenty of admirers.
But support for the monarchy inside Iran is uncertain. The shah era was also shaped by inequality and oppression. There are splits even among pro-monarchist groups.
People’s Mujahideen
Known by its Persian name, the Mujahideen-e Khalq Organisation, or MEK or MKO, is one of the most visible opposition groups abroad – but also one of the most controversial ones.
It emerged from a leftist group that staged bombing campaigns against the shah in the 1970s, but fell out with other groups and sided with Iraq in the 1980s war against Iran.
It’s behind the National Council of Resistance of Iran, led by Maryam Rajavi, which engages in heavy lobbying and organises flashy rallies, such as today’s protest of “Anglo-Iranian women” in front of Downing Street.
But the MEK only represents a fringe of the opposition. Rights groups have slammed its alleged cult-like behaviour and abuses of its members, which the group denies.
Mass protest movements
Iran has a history of mass protests against the theocratic regime, which has yielded several organically grown yet ultimately short-lived opposition movements.
One is the Green Movement, which emerged as protesters accused the government of rigging the 2009 presidential elections in favour of the conservative incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
But the movement was crushed and its liberal ring leaders were arrested. It’s now seen as defunct.
In 2022, the Woman Life Freedom movement rose up against repressive government policies, including the hijab mandate. Many protesters were jailed in a brutal crackdown and no clear organisation or leadership emerged.
Ethnic minorities
Iran’s Kurdish minority has long organised opposition against the Islamic Republic in the western provinces of the country, known collectively as Iranian Kurdistan, where they’re in the majority.
In Iran’s eastern Baluchistan region, the Baloch resistance ranges from Sunni clerics to armed jihadists linked to al Qaeda.
Unlike the Shia theocracy, both minorities are mostly Sunni Muslims.
Mass protest have often been fiercest in those areas. But as of date, there is no unified opposition movement there, that could challenge Tehran.
