{"id":330619,"date":"2025-04-17T11:07:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T10:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=330619"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:42:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:42:59","slug":"washington-rally-exposes-the-hollow-core-of-irans-monarchist-current","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/demonizing-mek\/washington-rally-exposes-the-hollow-core-of-irans-monarchist-current\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Rally Exposes the Hollow Core of Iran\u2019s Monarchist Current\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AI-generated image of a golden crown resting on fallen leaves outside the White House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was billed as a historic moment: a mass demonstration in Washington, D.C., where Iranian monarchists would rally support for the return of the Pahlavi dynasty. Promoted for months with sweeping claims and logistical backing\u2014including offers of paid travel\u2014organizers hoped the rally would mark a turning point in the fight against the Islamic Republic. What unfolded instead was a vivid portrait of a movement adrift: sparsely attended, politically disjointed, and riddled with contradictions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a few hundred attendees<\/a> despite the<\/span> mobilization of a diaspora estimated in the hundreds of thousands across the U.S. East Coast, the April 13 rally quickly became a case study in political miscalculation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Rally Without a People<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Pahlavi supporters\u2019 failure to attract even a fraction of the Iranian-American community in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland was especially damning. Organizers admitted their disappointment<\/a>. \u201cWe spared no effort for two months,\u201d lamented one monarchist figure. \u201cFrom TV stations to social media, from London tabloids to satellite channels\u2014we were everywhere. Still, barely anyone came.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But numbers were only part of the story. More revealing was the content and tone of the rally, which prioritized attacks on the organized opposition\u2014particularly the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK)\u2014over any coherent vision for Iran\u2019s future. In a move that stunned even critics of the monarchy, speakers devoted much of their time to lobbying against the MEK.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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#Iran<\/a> News: State-Run Newspaper Says Reza Pahlavi and Monarchists Have Served Clerical Regimehttps:\/\/t.co\/iey2VpMKXU<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n