EDITORIAL — US and Iran conflict

Blurb – For regime change to happen, the people of Iran --many of whom are actually willing to see their current leadership brought down and replaced, as observed in previous protests-- have to rally around someone who can legitimately take the helm of Iranian leadership.

One piece of the puzzle

While U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that he has achieved what he called “regime change” in his war with Iran, the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

Yes, missile strikes may have killed the previous ayatollah, but a new one has been installed in place. Yes, they may have crippled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but it’s still very much capable of fighting back as well as oppressing its own people. In short, it’s pretty much still business as usual over there.

It won’t be regime change unless the ayatollah is removed from leadership, the IRGC is dismantled, and the entire administration is replaced by something that resembles a democracy more than a dictatorial theocracy. Without regime change Iran will continue to be a major disruptor in the region.

For regime change to happen, the people of Iran --many of whom are actually willing to see their current leadership brought down and replaced, as observed in previous protests-- have to rally around someone who can legitimately take the helm of Iranian leadership.

And right now, the only person who may be able to fill that position looks to be Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah deposed by the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Last January when unrest broke out all over Iran, Pahlavi became visible and even called for sustained protest actions. It was the first time many Iranians had heard from him. People began to suggest his return would benefit the country.

We aren’t saying he is the best choice; although his name has a lot of political influence behind it it also carries a lot of social baggage. Many Iranians, especially the older ones, didn’t like the elitist bent of the shah. But right now there seems to be no other figurehead that can unite Iranians against the current regime.

Right now, Pahlavi is one piece of the puzzle that can lead to a total regime change in Iran. But he should do more if he expects Iranians to throw their support behind him.