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Political party in Iran
Iran National Council
ChairpersonReza Pirzadeh
SpokespersonReza Pahlavi[1]
FounderReza Pahlavi[2]
FoundedApril 2013; 13 years ago (2013-04)
HeadquartersParis, France[3]
Ideology
Political positionBig tent
Party flag
Website
irannc.org

Iran National Council for Free Elections (Persian: شورای ملی ایران برای انتخابات آزاد),[5] also called the Iran National Council (INC; Persian: شورای ملی ایران, romanized: Šurā-ye melli-e Irān) or the National Council of Iran (NCI), is a political umbrella group headquartered in Paris, France. It serves as part of the Iranian opposition to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with Reza Pahlavi acting as its spokesman.[2][1] Pahlavi, who lives in the United States, is the former Crown Prince of Iran and is the son of the deposed Shah, and previously declared himself to be the new "Reza Shah II" in exile in 1980, following the 1979 revolution and the death of his father.

The "self-styled"[1] National Council claims to represent religious and ethnic minorities, as well as monarchists and republicans.[6] According to Kenneth Katzman, in 2017, the group which was established with over 30 groups in 2013 had suffered defections and its activity level appeared minimal.[7][needs update]

Pahlavi has repeatedly rejected the idea of forcibly restoring a monarchy, or enacting absolute rule. Instead, he supports holding free elections to create a constituent assembly that will decide Iran's future government; whether that means enacting a constitutional monarchy or creating a new republic.[8][9]

Discussions and enthusiasm regarding an Iranian governmental transition were rejuvenated by the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, the subsequent 2026 Iran massacres and the killing of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei by Israeli missile strikes.[10] During the 2026 Iran War, chairman, spokesman and founder Reza Pahlavi[11] announced his readiness to return to Iran and potentially assume transitional leadership.

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 Milczanowski, Maciej (2014). "US Policy towards Iran under President Barack Obama's Administration" (PDF). Hemispheres: Studies on Cultures and Societies. 29 (4). Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures Polish Academy of Sciences: 53–66. ISSN 0239-8818. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Olivia Ward (1 June 2013). "Reza Pahlavi, son of Shah, heads pro-democracy group to end Iran's Islamic regime". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 Elaine Ganley (2 May 2013). "AP Interview: New job for son of toppled shah". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017 – via Yahoo.
  4. ↑ "Which are Iran's main opposition groups?". Al Jazeera. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 10 May 2026. Living in exile in the US, his son now leads a prominent monarchist movement known as the Iran National Council but claims not to be insisting on a return to a monarchy.
  5. ↑ Lipin, Michael; Derakhshesh, Satareh (12 February 2017). "Iranian Prince to Trump: Be Sensitive in Considering New Immigration Order". Voice of America.
  6. ↑ Verma, Sonia (6 June 2014). "Shah's son seeks support for people's revolution against Iran". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  7. ↑ Katzman, Kenneth (2 June 2017), Iran: Politics, Human Rights, and U.S. Policy (PDF), Federation of American Scientists, p. 27, retrieved 16 June 2017
  8. ↑ لندن, کیهان. "برگزاری «نشست همگرایی مونیخ» با تأکید بر اصول همکاری احزاب آزادیخواه و میهن‌پرست و رهبری شاهزاده رضا پهلوی در انقلاب ملی ایران" [Holding the "Munich Convergence Meeting" with an emphasis on the principles of cooperation between freedom-loving and patriotic parties and the leadership of Prince Reza Pahlavi in the Iranian National Revolution] (in Persian). Archived from the original on 17 February 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Prince Reza Pahlavi at the Munich Convergence Meeting: Our Goal is Solely to Save Iran" (in Persian). Iran International. 16 February 2025. Archived from the original on 17 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (1 March 2026). "Reza Pahlavi makes his pitch to lead Iran". Politico. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (1 March 2026). "Reza Pahlavi makes his pitch to lead Iran". Politico. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
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