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Meet the new Conservative Party of Iran — 4 Comments

1. Good luck to them.

2. Many of us are old enough to remember pre-ayatollahs Iran — I know I do. I was friendly with a few Iranians back in those days, and one thing that was impessed upon me was the savagery of SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police. Iran was no picnic back then.

   I don’t know enough of the history to expound on whether SAVAK was better or worse than the Gestapo, but I do believe they were comparable. [Hey, anyone here who’s knowledgeable, do help me out. Please.] I do recall that SAVAK was awfully *evil*.

   So the Shah was deposed, and Iran got the ayatollahs. We (most of us, anyway) revile the ayatollahs, their hatred and their fanatical religion. Frying-pan-to-fire, anyone?

   My point, which is more a hope than a salient point, is that Iran can emerge from this ungodly mess better off, first for its sake, and then secondarily, for USA’s sake.

3. Here is an interview of Reza Pahlavi by Jason Calacanis from the All-In Podcast. Well worth the time, IMO.

   It appears he has the support of Iranian diaspora and in keeping with the JPost article, the newly formed Conservative Party of Iran.

   Pahlavi talks about the economic benefit to the US (and the world) that a free and prosperous Iran would bring (among other things). Definitely will appeal to President Trump.

   Jason concludes with a conversation with Shervin Pishevar, an Iranian-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, super angel investor, and philanthropist, born March 24, 1974, in Tehran, Iran. Interesting story how his father escaped from Iran under threat of death from the Islamic regime.

   President Trump’s recent comment that he should get a say in any future leader was curious, and might be dismissed as bluster or hyperbole. More likely it is the President just reinforcing that nothing short of surrender will be sufficient and a break from the Islamic regime is necessary. Is an end closer than seems possible? As has been commented elsewhere, the Khamenei regime did decentralize the command structure of the IRGC in event of the decapitation of the leadership.

   The battles may require these elements to be eradicated before a transition can begin.

   It’s looking like Pahlavi has sufficient support to lead an interim government. Once a sufficient amount of the Islamic regime and IRGC have fled the country or been killed to empower the national army to assert power and guarantee security for the Pahlavi coalition to assume authority and lead Iran to a new government.

   If this is successful, President Trump would deserve an additional figure carved on Mt. Rushmore.

   JASON CALACANIS: Just this morning, Trump said there will be no deal in Iran until unconditional Trump’s surrender conditions, core principles, role in transition and potential leadership surrender uh is given by whatever is left of the government there. What do you think of that condition? Is that the right move? Do you agree with Trump’s ultimatum?

   REZA PAHLAVI: Well, let me look at it from the domestic prisM. In order for a successful transition to occur, it has ultimately to be something that is legitimate in the eyes of the Iranian people. We haven’t lost so many tens of thousands of lives just to settle for a continuity of the remnants of this regime. That will not fly. People will want to have a clean break. The alternative will be for all those who align with the secular democratic alternative. And there are some four core principles that who whoever adheres to that including people who may today peel away from the regime would be able to agree to work together on that platform.

   The first and foremost issue is of course Iran’s territorial integrity. That’s an issue that is very close to the hearts of millions of Iranians representing every aspect of our diversified country in terms of ethnicities, religions and what have you. But we find ourselves in this united cause under one flag and under one nation.

   The second element that is a prerequisite to democracy is a clear separation of religion from state. That’s a critical element for a democracy to occur.

   Equality of all citizens under the law and the rule of law obviously is a critical aspect that guarantees all of the rights we’re talking about.

   And the democratic process itself, meaning the fact that people can elect their representatives to go to this constitutional assembly to debate the issues of what the next system could look like and what it laws should be ratified by the people which would bring us to the election of the first parliament of this new democracy and of course the election of the first government of such democracy at which point the transitional government hands over power to the elected representative of the people in the future government.

   That’s pretty much the direction that we hope to manage this transition and I’m playing a role in bringing about this transition with a very well-crafted plan that is in detail explaining particularly focusing on the first 100 days. I created an organization called IPP which is Iran prosperity project but it first focus is the first 100 days. How we immediately stabilize the situation in Iran. How can we maximize the remaining elements that will join with us to be able to survive regime change and have a place in the future? These are the first components and then we move forward with the plan.

   JASON CALACANIS: Two quick questions. Under no circumstances, would that be a monarchy? Uh I think uh is a question everybody has for you because you’re the prince. This is a democracy. We don’t have princes in democracies. And then number two, what do you ideally see as your role in the transition? And then would you like to have the opportunity to run for president and to lead the country out of this horrific nightmare of 47 years?

   REZA PAHLAVI: My focus is on the process, not the outcome. And in as a neutral arbiter, I’m not taking sides with one form versus the other. That’s for the people of Iran to choose. And I think the world has seen successful models in both a republican system and a monarchic system. examples, a republic that you have like in India or like in Israel or in France or the United States are not exactly the same but that’s under the republican structure. In terms of parliamentary monarchies we have the example of Japan, Sweden, Spain, other countries. So I don’t think that necessarily you can equate democracy with one outcome in particular. It could be both models that people can emulate. So at the end of the day, you know, again, uh it’s not for me to choose the outcome. I’m here to be a bridge towards that outcome. That’s the function of a transitional leader, not to run for office or not to have an aim for personal position or power or authority, but to be the element that unites the country towards a common purpose and allow the nation to decide what is their preferred system. That’s what elections and free elections should be all about. and the ballot box is the only means to measure people’s opinion and the majority will decide on that and that’s the process that I’m in business to bring about.

4. More from the All-In Podcast, this time with Shervin Pishevar. Very positive.

   Of course, none of this can come about because it will benefit Israel. The potential benefit to the US will be manifest in many tangible ways, but sorry, none of that matters, because we can’t support anything that might benefit the Jews. /sarc

   SHERVIN PISHEVAR: …So the president has not only gotten rid of the Maduro in Venezuela, he has now begun this process of dismantling this Islamic regime who is absolutely not a legitimate government and not a legit legitimate nation state. And the only leader that is legitimate to lead us to a transition process to become a democracy is the crown prince Pahlavi. We are very lucky I think in our modern times to have three leaders who are living at the same time and leading at the same time as President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, all in this one moment in time. I think we’re living in biblical times when 10/7 happened. I started the Israeli Iranian alliance with Michael Eisenberg, Michael Behine, Jesse Matin, Sean Rad, uh, and we started to host these salons with the crown prince. One was in New York, Michael Eisenberg flew in, Dan Lo, lots of leaders came. And that was the beginning of the process that was seated with a breakfast with Michael Eisenberg as a VC and the number one VC in Israel. 15 years ago where we said we have to do more between Israeli and Jewish community and the Persian Iranian community and someday we’re going to have tea in Tehran. And we wrote an op-ed last year about this. And we began to build these bridges.

   And this connection between the Jewish people and the Iranian people goes back 2500 years. Cyrus the Great, who’s in the Bible, freed the Jews from slavery in Babylon, returned them to their homeland in Jerusalem, and rebuilt their temple. And he is celebrated for that courageous act in the Bible and in Jewish religious holidays and it is a tremendous connection that goes back now 2500 years. Later in kind of biblical symmetry you have the Jewish people helping free Iranian people from their slavery and at the same time there is a connection between America’s beginning that many people don’t know is that Thomas Jefferson was a student of Cyrus the Great, who declared the first declaration of human rights and a lot of the principles that went into the Declaration of Independence of America and the founding of America and the Bill of Rights and the Constitution have had its roots in Cyrus the Great and Persian history. And so this connection between America’s founding and the principles that the Iranians espoused for 2500 years is this beautiful connection between the Jewish people, the American people and the Iranian people.

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