Iran's Exiled Prince and Israeli Minister Discuss Diaspora Solidarity

Iran's exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi met with Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli in the US to discuss strengthening solidarity between the Iranian and Jewish diasporas.

The prince, a prominent opposition leader, wrote on X: “This Biblical relationship is not merely a relic of the past. It can inspire a new era of lasting peace for our region, including Iranians, Israelis, and Arabs.”

In April of last year, Pahlavi, known for his vocal advocacy for improving Israeli-Iranian relations, undertook a journey to Israel to " deliver a message of friendship from the Iranian people.”

This gesture stood in stark contrast to the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose leadership has consistently exhibited a pattern of Holocaust denial, further exacerbated by the organization of conferences and the sponsorship of cartoon competitions trivializing one of the greatest mass killings of the 20th century.

Minister Chikli, reflecting on his meeting with Pahlavi, expressed his optimism that the prince's leadership will pave the way for “peace and prosperity in Iran and the Middle East and restore the historical alliance between Iran and Israel.”

The Israeli official also threaded a picture of their meeting to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's post on X using only a dot as the caption. This was a tribute to the recently arrested Iranian blogger who is allegedly accused by the clerical government's security of being an Israeli spy.

Iranian blogger Hossein Shanbehzadeh was arrested earlier this week, accused of being a "fugitive Mossad agent" who has insulted religious figures in the past. His family rejects the allegations.

Shanbehzadeh last month posted a sarcastic comment—a single dot—in response to a tweet by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His remark received more likes than Khamenei's original post. In the wake of his arrest, many users expressed their outrage, linking the detention to his comment on Khamenei's post, which had gained substantial attention

In the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, while Iran’s authoritarian government repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian activists and social media users assert that Hamas bears direct responsibility for the war and the resulting deaths of Palestinian civilians and children, whom it employs as 'human shields.'

These critics are part of a significant segment of the Iranian population that contends their nation has suffered under the oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic. This regime not only represses its citizens but also channels its resources to support and arm Hamas, further entangling Iranian funds in the conflict.