{"id":345076,"date":"2026-05-15T10:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T09:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=345076"},"modified":"2026-05-15T10:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T09:57:08","slug":"the-lion-and-sun-associations-how-irans-regime-manufactures-a-false-choice-between-the-mullahs-and-the-shah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/fake-opposition\/the-lion-and-sun-associations-how-irans-regime-manufactures-a-false-choice-between-the-mullahs-and-the-shah\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cLion and Sun\u201d Associations: How Iran\u2019s Regime Manufactures a False Choice Between the Mullahs and the Shah"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Al-Zahra
Al-Zahra University, February 24: Defiant students honor the martyrs of the January 2026 uprising, holding portraits of the fallen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Five-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On May 10, 2026, monarchist gatherings in Germany<\/a> once again provided Tehran with one of its most useful propaganda tools. Some participants displayed SAVAK symbols and Shah-era imagery \u2014 scenes that allow the Islamic Republic to reinforce a carefully cultivated narrative: that Iran\u2019s only alternatives are the current dictatorship or the return of the old one.<\/p>\n

The significance of these displays lies less in the gatherings themselves than in how similar symbolism has increasingly appeared inside Iran\u2019s protest movements \u2014 particularly on university campuses. For years, Iranian security networks and affiliated actors have sought to inject monarchist slogans into demonstrations, reframing democratic uprisings as calls for the restoration of the monarchy. During and after the January 2026 uprising<\/a>, this pattern became especially visible as slogans such as \u201cJavid Shah\u201d and \u201cPahlavi will return\u201d were aggressively amplified through selective clips and coordinated media ecosystems.<\/p>\n

The March 2026 Student Protests<\/h2>\n

After the January 2026 uprising was suppressed, universities reopened on February 21, 2026. Within days, new student protests broke out across campuses, largely connected to the fortieth-day commemorations for those killed during the uprising. These protests lasted several days and were quickly met with pressure and repression.<\/p>\n

But a new phenomenon appeared alongside them: the sudden emergence of \u201cLion and Sun Associations\u201d on university campuses.<\/p>\n

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The #Iranian<\/a> Regime\u2019s Calculated Use of Monarchists: A Political Decoyhttps:\/\/t.co\/yBZ1QJSnHd<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n