Protests are sweeping Iran, and the courage of ordinary Iranians is impossible to ignore. For forty-five years, the Islamic Republic, born from an alliance of Islamist and Marxist ideologies has ruled through fear, violence, and repression. Yet today, people’s voices are rising despite enormous risks.
Solidarity starts with listening. Iranians, both within the country and across the diaspora, are expressing political preferences that outsiders often dismiss. Recent chants, flags, and mobilisations following calls by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi show that millions of Iranians see him as a unifying figure, a credible advocate for democratic change, and the natural if not only leader currently with the ability and agency to lead the fight for the overthrowing of the regime and the transitionary period after the fall of the regime; until such time that Iranians can determine their own system of governance. This is not the “weaponization” of dissent; it is the organic expression of political will under extreme repression.
Critics wrongly claim that support for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi signals a desire to restore the monarchy. That misreads and misrepresents both his position and the aspirations of millions of Iranians. He calls for a secular, democratic system chosen through a free referendum, something Iranians have been denied since 1979. For many, he embodies continuity with a national identity predating clerical rule and a rare ability to unite a fragmented opposition.
In 2009, thousands of Iranians rose up, only to be crushed while the Obama administration pursued engagement with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei instead of meaningful pressure. By contrast, President Donald J. Trump’s public assurances and pressure on the regime are welcomed. In authoritarian systems, hope is tangible; it shapes whether people dare to resist and the difference between victory and defeat.
A similar logic applies to Israel. Many Iranians view Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations funded and armed by the Islamic Republic. They acknowledge and thank Israel for its role in weakening the regime’s coercive power and eliminating senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders (with little harm to ordinary Iranians) who would otherwise, if still alive today, would be key players in suppressing today’s uprising. 
When regime agents believe they face no consequences, repression thrives. When sanctions, prosecution, or elite vulnerability are real, the calculus shifts. External pressure does not replace Iranian agency; it creates space for resistance.
Women, minorities, workers, students, and queer Iranians remain at the forefront. They wave pre-revolutionary flags, chant Reza Pahlavi’s name, and call for international support. To dismiss these choices as racism, Islamophobia, or imperialism is to silence the very people solidarity claims to support.
Iranians are not debating abstract ideologies; they are choosing between life under a theocratic police state and the possibility of freedom. True solidarity respects that choice.
Mehdi Vakili