TEHRAN – On June 16, a user of X shared a photo generated by the AI of Reza Pallavi, the son of abdicated Shah sitting on the throne, saying, “He will bring Iran’s freedom and prosperity!” His father, Mohammad Reza Shah, fled Iran twice during his reign. First, when MI6 and the CIA conspired in 1953 to overthrow Prime Minister Mosadegu’s democratically elected government, and in January 1979 they admitted they had heard the “voice” of the people’s revolution.
Reza Khan, founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, did not go that well. He was expelled from the country by alliance forces who began seizing food for Iranian people when they were invaded by Iran in 1941. The British and Soviet troops created a devastating hunger that contributed to the deaths of around 3-4 million Iranians.
But all that dark and painful history was put aside in 2025 when X-user spoke about what she called the “golden” era of the Pallavi era. She called on Iranians to join hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a convicted war criminal, and sparked riots across Iran while Israel bombed the country. In another post, she shared a photo of Shah’s granddaughter who abdicated, asking if people would not want such a “cute princess” to become their future queen. The abdicated granddaughter of Shah does not speak Persian. Her social media is filled with photos taken at beaches, clubs and gorgeous villas.
User replies to posts were split into two different groups. An account similar to the one where users praised her for her “courage” and “wisdom.” They too defended the return of the Pahlavi family, reaching their peak activity during the 12 days of Israel’s invasion of Iran. The original users and most of these supporters have been largely inactive in the past few months.
Other groups of respondents responded with distrust and even blasphemy. They wrote that Israel doesn’t care about anyone who rules Iran. They wanted this country to pieces with or without an Islamic Republic. Some accused users of being Israeli agents in disguise. “Can you stand with the person who killed thousands of children? One person answered. It has become clear that users who ask Iranians to support an attack on Israeli soil are not just non-Iranians, and perhaps even human.
A study by the University of Toronto’s Civic Research Institute found that 50 fraud X-profiles carried out an AI-response impact manipulation in harmony with the war with Iran with Iran in June, inciting Iranian audiences to insurrect the government. Researchers concluded that the operation was carried out directly by an unknown body of the Israeli regime or by a subcontractor working under its close supervision. These accounts promoted Reza Pallavi as a political alternative to Iran’s current leadership.
The Tehran Times understands that the US and certain European countries have funded similar businesses, particularly since the fall of 2022, and is seeking people against the Iranian government. However, the proposed alternatives are not always the same. Alternatively, some promote the Mujahedin-e-Khalq organization, the infamous terrorist group. Several other names are also in circulation, and many foreign-funded operations defend the separation of various Iranian provinces.
In the midst of daily life in Iran, there is little discussion about Western-based opposition, their belligerent calls, or their plans for damage for the country’s “future.” Recent revelation has not changed this general lack of attention in everyday life, but has created waves of anger and ock laughter on social media. Recently, Iranians have taken them to platforms like X and Instagram, asking the opposition, “Why do they continue to fool themselves and the Westerners?”
“I can’t believe Israel and the West are trying to sell these people to us,” the man in his early 20s said in an Instagram story. He has a comedy page with over 40,000 followers. In another story that appears to be an explanation of his previous statement, the young man said he “doesn’t mind the Islamic Republic” but would never defeat the government because of “a bunch of traitors who ask others to attack people.”
Many Iranian opposition in the West support Israeli war against Iran and call it a chance to “break freely.” They were even less popular as Iranians within Iran found it difficult to resonate with the message, fearing themselves and their loved ones during the bombings of Israel and the United States.
“Western policymakers continue to rely on data and narratives from opposition, who are isolated from Iranian society and are unable to understand the country’s social reality,” wrote Fars News in a commentary discussing the recent saga. “But as more time goes by, it becomes clear that the opposition really has nothing. They have no support in Iran and don’t even want to fight for what they believe.