We have been mistaken all along. Zionism is actually an invention by the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, and therefore the Islamic Republic of Iran is totally wrong in its rejection and Zionism, and its belligerence towards Israel. Just as soon as the current rulers of Iran are sent packing, Israel and Iran will be great friends, because Zionism is the real Iranian way.
Welcome to the world of Iranian or Persian Zionism. It is a curious mixture of agendas and personalities, for whom supporting Israel is essential to them taking power in Iran. No doubt they understand too well that by supporting Israel, their cause will carry much cache with Washington, which has always been ground zero for international Zionism. And what better dream to sell than transforming the last redoubt of anti-Zionist resistance being transformed into a country that Prime Minister Netanyahu would be happy to vacation in. For Washington, the Middle East rightfully belongs to Israel. And many Iranian expats are more than happy to lend a helping hand.
The relationship of Israel and Iran goes back a long way, with Iran being the second Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel in 1949 (the first being Turkey in 1948). This was during the reign of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was always pro-Israel. For example, he joint-ventured with Israel in 1968 to build the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline, which was meant to carry Iranian oil to Europe. The pipeline became crucial for Israel’s survival during the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, when the Arab countries of OPEC implemented an oil embargo, which lasted until 1974. However, Iran not being Arab, the Shah kept the oil flowing. Israel illegally confiscated this pipeline in 1979, following the Iranian Revolution, and still refuses to compensate Iran for it; a Swiss court in 2015 ordered Israel to do so, but it refused.
Around the time when, in February 14, 2025, Vice President JD Vance delivered his blistering, and now famous, wake-up call to Europe’s ruling class, at the Munich Security Conference 2025, there was another conference in Munich, called the Iran Convergence Summit (ICS) that took place on February 18, 2025.
The summit was attended by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah. The summit was organized by various Iranian expat groups. The prince invited the organization Stage of Freedom to attend, which works in Britain to bring about a new revolution in Iran, and justifies this regime change by pushing the narrative of Mahsa Amini being beaten to death by the so-called “Morality Police” of Iran. The many Iranian expat opposition groups have exploited the death of Mahsa mercilessly.
The summit aimed to bring together various Iranian expat opposition voices and discuss strategies for regime change in Iran. Of course, it occurred at a time when Washington is beating the drums of war for a possible strike by the United States on Iran.
But the interesting thing that came out of the summit was that the various groups (both monarchists and republicans) united to proclaim Prince Reza, the son of the late Shah, as their leader whenever they should manage to get back into Iran and actually take power.
Needless to say, the involvement of the Mossad and the CIA in Iranian affairs is legendary.
In April of 2023, the prince and his wife were invited to Israel by then Minister of Intelligence Gila Gamliel. She was the boss of all Israeli intelligence activities, namely, Aman (military intelligence), Mossad (overseas intelligence), and Shin Bet (internal security). It was the first time that any Iranian official had visited Israel.
The prince was royally hosted and he even prayed at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. This is what he said about this:
“So said Cyrus, the king of Persia, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of the heavens delivered to me, and He commanded me to build Him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judea.’” – Hebrew Bible, Ezra 1:2
2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great liberated the Jewish people from captivity and helped them rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem. It is with profound awe that I visit the Western Wall of that Temple and pray for the day when the good people of Iran and Israel can renew our historic friendship.
During this visit, he met with senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and participated in Israel’s annual Holocaust memorial ceremony, prayed at the Western Wall, and toured the country with Gamliel.
Ever since then, he has been a vocal advocate for regime-changing Iran. At the Israeli-American Council summit in September 2024, he called for a “collaborative, coordinated campaign” between Israel and Iranians to combat the current Iranian regime. He urged Israeli-American activists to support his campaign for regime change in Iran, promoting concepts of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic Republic and “maximum support” for the Iranian people.
So, he wants to make life as tough as possible for the ordinary people in Iran, just so he can get back into power. And he has said nothing about the current genocide of Gazans, nor anything about Palestinians. He knows which side his bread buttered on.
Thus, Iranian monarchists have aligned themselves with Israel. They view Israel as a key ally in their fight to reinstate the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran, and they see Israel as a counterweight to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which they oppose. By supporting Israel, they position themselves against the Iranian government’s anti-Israel stance.
Both Iranian monarchists and Israel’s extremists share common goals, particularly in opposing the current Iranian government. This alignment has led to increased cooperation and support between the two groups.
Under the prince’s father’s rule, Iran and Israel maintained a cordial relationship, collaborating on security and regional issues. The current monarchist movement seeks to revive and strengthen these historical connections.
Pro-Pahlavi lobbying groups in Washington, D.C., such as the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), have actively supported Israel and sought to counter pro-Palestinian activism. It is their hope that Israel will help them get back into power in Iran. They seem not have thought too far in advance—that being a proxy for Israel and the United States never ends well. The prince should remember what the United States did to his father, who thought he was America’s “friend.”
Prince Reza’s actions are best seen as a desperate attempt to position himself as a viable opposition figure, with Israel’s support potentially lending him credibility. It is his greatest hope that Iran will be regime-changed and he will get back into power.
And this dream was stoked further at the summit in Munich, when all expat Iranian anti-Islamic Regime groups acclaimed him their leader when they get back to Iran.
The foremost organization behind all these maneuvers is the Cyrus Forum, which was established in 2022, and its aim is to bring democracy, freedom and prosperity to Iran. All three are code words for regime change. It is a high-powered outfit (funded by the Canadian Munk family), which sees itself as a think-tank to plan, strategize and carry out the toppling of the current Iranian government. However, it also has high moral standards, because it wants to make sure that there is no violence and instability in Iran while they carry out the overturning of the reality that exists today in Iran.
The Forum is/was closely linked with USAID via the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and it was founded by Mariam Memarsadeghi, an Iranian-American activist, writer, who wants to bring democracy to Iran. As the excellent work by The Grayzone has revealed, she is closely connected with the Mossad and the CIA, and just so there is no mistake in this regard, she has the Israeli flag on her profile, on X (as well as the flag of Ukraine, to make sure).
And in this regard, it is important to mention that the Director of the NED was Carl Gershman, who has long wanted the US to go to war with Iran, and who has been actively involved with the Cyrus Forum. There are also other Zionist Iran specialists such as Mark Dubowitz who runs the pro-Zionist Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
At this stage, it is fair to assume that most of the various anti-Islamic Republic expat activist organizations are run by the CIA and the Mossad. This goes back decades.
As a response to the Abraham Accords, there are also the Cyrus Accords, which are a proposed diplomatic initiative aimed at normalizing relations between Iran and Israel. Named after Cyrus the Great, the ancient Persian leader who allowed Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple, these accords are envisioned as a potential future agreement that would follow the successful model of the Abraham Accords signed in 2020.
The Cyrus Accords want to establish peace and economic cooperation between Iran and Israel, revive the purported historical bond between the modern-day “descendants” of Abraham and Cyrus the Great, promote a transition in Iran towards a secular democracy that prioritizes the well-being of its citizens, and end regional conflicts and foster stability in the Middle East, according to the dictates of Israel.
The concept of the Cyrus Accords was introduced by Victoria Coates and Len Khodorkovsky in early 2021. While these accords are still hypothetical, proponents argue that they could offer a hopeful future for both Iran and Israel, potentially transforming their relationship from hostility to partnership.
Len Khodorkovsky is a former U.S. government official who played a significant role in shaping American foreign policy, particularly in relation to Israel and the Middle East. He served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Digital Strategy and Senior Advisor to the U.S. Special Representative for Iran.
During his tenure at the State Department, Khodorkovsky was involved in several key initiatives: He designed branding and materials for the Trump administration’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan for Israelis (it was a disaster for the Palestnians). He participated in the Abraham Accords process, which led to the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab states (by excluding the Palestinians). Khodorkovsky was instrumental in the U.S. campaign against Chinese involvement in global 5G infrastructure.
After leaving government service, Khodorkovsky continued to be active in foreign policy and tech diplomacy. He is currently serving as Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University. He co-founded Yalla, an Arabic-language online platform covering news from the Middle East and North Africa.
The Jerusalem Post referred to Khodorkovsky as “The State Department’s secret weapon” due to his influential role in U.S. diplomacy. His work has been particularly focused on Israel, which he describes as “a second home in many ways” and one of America’s strongest allies.
Victoria Coates is a prominent figure in U.S. foreign policy, particularly regarding Israel and the Middle East. She is a Protestant Zionist who served as Deputy National Security Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa during the Trump administration and is currently the Vice President of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation.
Coates recently published a book entitled, The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win, which focuses on the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and argues for strong U.S.-Israel relations. It is a Zionist battleplan.
She believes there is a symbiotic relationship between the United States and Israel, rooted in shared “Judeo-Christian” moral traditions and critical to U.S. national security. Notice how “morality” becomes “national security.”
She argues that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict effectively ended decades ago with Israel’s founding and its victory in the 1967 Six-Day War. Coates suggests that Palestinians need to accept this reality and move towards disarmament and “cooperation” (genocide).
Coates is deeply concerned about the rise of anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiments in U.S. institutions, particularly in academia. She criticizes the application of critical race theory to label Israel and the U.S. as examples of “settler colonialism.”
Coates supports the Trump administration’s approach to Israel, including recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, transferring the U.S. embassy there, and facilitating the Abraham Accords.
Regarding the ongoing conflict following the October 7, 2023 attack, Coates argues that it is not merely a regional issue but a broader military and cultural war that must be won for the sake of both Israel and the United States. Bring on the genocide.
As is typical of the various of Zionism that currently exist, the Persian version is interesting because it is an attempt by disaffected Iranian expats to ride on the coattails of Israel in order to somehow get back in power. Zionism is packaged as the only “hope” for such expats. The key is regime change—and that will require a war.
Back in 1976, the Shah gave an interview to Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes. This brief exchange is telling:
Wallace: Surely, Your Majesty you’re not telling me that the Jewish lobby in the United States pulls the strings of the Presidency?
Shah: Not entirely. But, I think even a little too much, even for Israel interests.
Wallace: You think the Jewish lobby in the United States is too powerful for the interests of Israel?
Shah: I think so. Sometimes they are disserving the interests of Israel.
Wallace: Explain
Shah: Because they’re pushing around too many people.
Wallace: How do you mean “pushing around”?
Shah: Well, pressuring. They have many means at their disposal. They are putting on pressure on many, many people. And at the end, I don’t think that it will even help Israel.
Wallace: Why, if this is true, why would the President of the United States pay attention to that lobby?
Shah: They are strong.
Wallace: Strong in what sense?
Shah: They are controlling many things.
Wallace: Controlling what?
Shah: Newspapers … medias…
Wallace: Your Majesty …
Shah: Banks … finances and I’m going to stop there.
Wallace: Well, now, just a second. You really do believe that the Jewish community in the United States is that powerful? They make the media reflect their view of foreign policy?
Shah: Yes.
It is a very old story, even a supporter of the Israel, like the Shah, understood the reality of things in the United States, as John Mearsheimer would fully elaborate many years later.
So, as Trump 2.0 lets loose his usual volley of bluster and bullying, the motley crew of Iranians circling around the prince are baying for the blood of the mullahs. It is the very same baying heard from Netanyahu and his ilk who think that their moment in the sun has at last come.
As with all things dreamt up by Israel and the USA, this is all a sorry stew of arrogance and ignorance. Arrogance because those living outside Iran think they know what is best for Iran. Ignorance because they actually believe that Israel and the USA are both their dearest friends. They should be careful what they wish for.
The most deluded is the poor prince who thinks he is the leader who will bring his followers to victory.
Netanyahu has him thinking that he is the new Cyrus the Great, who will rejoin the Iranians and the Israelis, for in old Jewish tradition, King Cyrus was venerated as a messiah—the only non-Jew to be held in this regard—because of his role in facilitating the return to Zion and the rebuilding of the Temple. Thus, Cyrus was the very first Zionist, Netanyahu insists.
Such is the dreamscape of the Persian Zionists.
Many dreams come true as nightmares.
