Iran National Council

Not to be confused with National Council of Resistance of Iran.

Iran National Council
ChairpersonReza Pirzadeh
SpokespersonReza Pahlavi[1]
FounderReza Pahlavi[2]
FoundedApril 2013 (2013-04)
HeadquartersParis, France[3]
IdeologyConstitutional Monarchism[4]
Secularism[3]
Iranian nationalism
Political positionBig tent
Party flag
Website
irannc.org

The Iran National Council (NCI; Persian: شورای ملی ایران, romanized: Šurā-ye melli-e Irān), officially the Iran National Council for Free Elections,[5] is an umbrella group of the Iranian opposition[2] with Reza Pahlavi as the spokesman.[1]

The "self-styled"[1] National Council claims to have gathered the support of "tens of thousands of pro-democracy proponents from both inside and outside Iran."[6] It also claims to represent religious and ethnic minorities, as well as monarchists and republicans.[7] According to Kenneth Katzman, in 2017 the group which was established with over 30 groups has "suffered defections and its activity level appears minimal".[8]

According to The New York Observer, the council serves as Reza Pahlavi's government in exile in order to reclaim the former throne after overthrowing the current government.[4] It has also been described as an organization that profiles him as "the new president of Iran".[1] However, Pahlavi has repeatedly renounced the monarchy, and has instead advocated for free elections to form a constituent assembly that could determine the future form of governance in Iran.[9][10] Of the more than 390,000 supporters of a change.org petition declaring Pahlavi "my representative", many emphasized that they only backed him as an "interim figure" who could bring about a democratic transition away from the Islamic Republic, not to restore the fallen monarchy.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Milczanowski, Maciej (2014). "US Policy towards Iran under President Barack Obama's Administration" (PDF). Hemispheres: Studies on Cultures and Societies. 29 (4). Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures Polish Academy of Sciences: 53–66. ISSN 0239-8818. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b Olivia Ward (1 June 2013). "Reza Pahlavi, son of Shah, heads pro-democracy group to end Iran's Islamic regime". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b Elaine Ganley (2 May 2013). "AP Interview: New job for son of toppled shah". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017 – via Yahoo.
  4. ^ a b Parker Richards (29 January 2016). "Pahlavi, Elie Wiesel, Rev. King to Be Honored for Promoting Peace". Observer. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  5. ^ Lipin, Michael; Derakhshesh, Satareh (12 February 2017). "Iranian Prince to Trump: Be Sensitive in Considering New Immigration Order". Voice of America.
  6. ^ Jon Gambrell (9 April 2017). "Iran's long-exiled prince wants a revolution in age of Trump". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  7. ^ Verma, Sonia (6 June 2014). "Shah's son seeks support for people's revolution against Iran". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  8. ^ Kenneth Katzman (2 June 2017), Iran: Politics, Human Rights, and U.S. Policy (PDF), Federation of American Scientists, p. 27, retrieved 16 June 2017
  9. ^ لندن, کیهان. "برگزاری «نشست همگرایی مونیخ» با تأکید بر اصول همکاری احزاب آزادیخواه و میهن‌پرست و رهبری شاهزاده رضا پهلوی در انقلاب ملی ایران" [Holding the "Munich Convergence Meeting" with an emphasis on the principles of cooperation between freedom-loving and patriotic parties and the leadership of Prince Reza Pahlavi in the Iranian National Revolution] (in Persian). Archived from the original on 17 February 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Prince Reza Pahlavi at the Munich Convergence Meeting: Our Goal is Solely to Save Iran" (in Persian). Iran International. 16 February 2025. Archived from the original on 17 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  11. ^ Dagres, Holly (24 January 2023). "Can Reza Pahlavi help unite the Iranian opposition? A hashtag is suggesting so". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
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