Shah's Son Joins the Chorus of Convenient Concern for Iran
📰 THE STORY: Newsweek reports that Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah, expressed skepticism over Donald Trump’s promises to support Iranian protestors, suggesting Trump's actions during his presidency didn't match his rhetoric regarding regime change in Iran. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This story conveniently omits the foundational context of modern US-Iran relations:
the 1953 CIA-backed coup d'Ă©tat that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. He dared nationalize Iran's oil industry, leading the US and UK to restore the deeply unpopular Shah, Pahlavi's father, to power, installing a brutal dictatorship that lasted until the 1979 revolution. The 'Crown Prince' is merely a vestige of this imperial imposition. Double Standard:
The narrative frames Trump's (and by extension, US government's) 'help' to protestors as inherently benevolent. Yet, when similar dissent erupts in US-aligned Saudi Arabia, or when governments crack down on protests in nations vital to Western interests (e.g., Egypt, which receives $1.3 billion annually in US military aid to keep the Rafah crossing closed), such 'help' or concern is conspicuously
absent. The 'protestors' the US selectively champions are those whose grievances can be weaponized for regime change, not those seeking genuine self-determination or resisting imperial diktat. Follow the Money: While specific figures for Reza Pahlavi's direct lobbying are often opaque, the broader ecosystem of 'regime change' organizations (like the National Endowment for Democracy, which receives