Crown Control: Behind-the-Scenes Influence in Israel may be Nudging Iran Toward Birthing a ‘Baby Shah’ Regime
Israel’s Haaretz has published an exhaustive and explosive exposé on Israel’s covert digital campaign to promote Reza Pahlavi—the so-called “crown prince” of Iran—it reveals a troubling reality: the movement to reinstall the Shah’s monarchy is not a grassroots uprising by the Iranian people but a foreign-engineered psychological operation serving outside interests.
NCRI Deputy Director Alireza Jafarzadeh is available for interviews on this extremely powerful revelation.
The investigation uncovers a vast, AI-driven influence network operating out of Israel that fabricates online personas, disseminates deepfake videos, and amplifies pro-Pahlavi messaging through fake Persian-language accounts. These accounts—many created in synchronization with Israeli military actions against Iran—pose as ordinary Iranians calling for the return of “King Reza Pahlavi.” In reality, they are avatars of a digital deception designed to create the illusion of popular support for a monarchy that the Iranian people long ago rejected.
For over four decades, the Iranian Resistance—led by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its president-elect, Maryam Rajavi—has been fighting not to replace one dictatorship with another, but to achieve a free, secular, and democratic republic. The NCRI’s vision is rooted in the sacrifices of countless Iranians who have resisted both the Shah’s tyranny and the theocracy that replaced it. By contrast, the “Baby Shah” represents the recycled face of an era defined by repression, torture, and corruption.
That era also left a vacuum filled by the current regime.
Regime Change Imminent; what replaces it and who wants what?
Reza Pahlavi’s father ruled Iran with an iron fist under the patronage of Washington and Tel Aviv. His regime’s Savak police brutalized dissidents, silenced the press, and created the social and political conditions that allowed Khomeini’s dictatorship to seize power in 1979. To suggest that the Iranian people—who risk their lives daily demanding “Death to the Dictator”—would now accept a hereditary monarch hand-picked and promoted by foreign powers is an insult to their struggle for self-determination.
Even Israeli analysts quoted in Haaretz admit that this operation is misguided. Raz Zimmt of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies warns that promoting Pahlavi “reinforces Khamenei’s narrative that Israel and the U.S. want to turn Iran back into a monarchy and client state.” In other words, this “influence operation” strengthens the regime’s propaganda and undermines genuine democratic opposition inside Iran—particularly the NCRI, whose network inside the country has mobilized millions through acts of civil resistance and organized protest.
The Haaretz revelations expose what the NCRI has long cautioned: foreign actors seeking “regime change” through artificial figures like Pahlavi play directly into the mullahs’ hands. This is not solidarity with the Iranian people; it is a cynical geopolitical game that substitutes propaganda for principle.
Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan—calling for universal suffrage, gender equality, abolition of the death penalty, and a non-nuclear Iran—is the only credible blueprint for genuine, lasting freedom. The Iranian people don’t need another shah; they need sovereignty, dignity, and democracy.
The world must draw a clear distinction between manufactured monarchists and the authentic movement for Iranian freedom. The NCRI represents the latter. The “Baby Shah” and his foreign sponsors represent only the past.
Now that Haaretz has pulled back the curtain, it’s time policymakers and media alike stop mistaking artificial influence campaigns for the voice of the Iranian people. The future of Iran will not be restored—it will be reborn.
Would you like to speak with NCRI representatives about this urgent development and the broader implications for Iran’s future?
The NCRI has been calling for regime change in Iran and is available to provide context on this huge development. Deputy Director Alireza Jafarzadeh, Member of Parliament in Exile Shahin Gobadi, and others are available for interviews.
The NCRI can provide expert voices on the sanctions, the state of the regime, and what comes next.
Regime Change is necessary; so is the right regime that replaces the old one.
Speakers Available:
Alireza Jafarzadeh – Deputy Director of NCRI
Shahin Gobadi – Nuclear Engineer and member of NCRI
Ali Safavi – Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Related Article(s)
Iran: Executions of 15, 13, and more prisoners in Iran on Sept 24, 28, and 29 – NCRI
Optional Q&A
- What does the Haaretz investigation reveal about the extent of Israel’s involvement in promoting Reza Pahlavi through fake social media accounts and AI-generated propaganda?
- How does the exposure of these influence operations undermine the legitimacy of Reza Pahlavi’s claim to represent the Iranian people?
- Why does the NCRI describe Reza Pahlavi as the “Baby Shah,” and how does his message differ fundamentally from Maryam Rajavi’s vision for a free and democratic Iran?
- What impact do such foreign-engineered campaigns have on genuine Iranian opposition movements operating inside the country?
- How does Israel’s overt alignment with Pahlavi, as described by its own analysts, play into the hands of the mullahs in Tehran?
- In what ways does the NCRI’s platform, particularly Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, contrast with the restoration of monarchy that the pro-Pahlavi campaign promotes?
- How can policymakers and journalists distinguish between manufactured online support and authentic grassroots movements for freedom within Iran?
- Why is it essential for the international community to support the Iranian people’s right to self-determination rather than backing foreign-influenced “royalist” figures who echo the mistakes of the past?
ABOUT ALIREZA JAFARZADEH…
Alireza Jafarzadeh serves as the Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). He is also the author of The Iran Threat (Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2008).
A recognized expert on Iranian policy, Jafarzadeh has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. His groundbreaking work in 2002 and 2003 led to the discovery of key illicit nuclear sites in Iran, including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the Arak heavy water plant, the Kalaye Electric centrifuge testing facility near Tehran, and the Lashkar Ab’ad laser enrichment facility. These revelations prompted the first-ever inspections of Iranian nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Jafarzadeh is a frequent guest on major television and radio networks, including CBS Evening News, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and France 24. His insights have also been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time, and The Hill.
ABOUT SHAHIN GOBADI…
Shahin Gobadi, a U.S.-educated nuclear engineer, is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
An astute observer of Iranian affairs for over three decades, Gobadi is an expert on topics including Iranian state-sponsored terrorism, proxy groups in the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, Western policy toward Iran, and internal Iranian affairs.
He has been interviewed by major international media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, BBC, Sky TV, GB News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Gobadi’s writings have appeared in prominent media across the U.S. and Europe.
ABOUT ALI SAFAVI…
Ali Safavi is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
A sociologist by training, Safavi studied and taught at UCLA, California State University Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. He was an active participant in the anti-Shah student movement in the 1970s in the United States and has been deeply engaged in Iranian affairs ever since.
Safavi has lectured and written extensively on Iran, Iraq, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Middle Eastern politics. He has appeared in interviews on networks such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, Sky TV, Newsmax, and France 24. His articles and commentary have been published in leading outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Boston Herald, The Washington Times, and The Financial Times.
This material is distributed by Special Guests Publicity LLC on behalf of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) / Media Strategy Consulting LTD. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
CONTACT:
For further details or to arrange the interview, please contact Jerry McGlothlin at 919-437-0001 / Bookings@SpecialGuests.com
