Far-right praise for shah’s secret police puts Reza Pahlavi on the spot

Published 3 June 2026 · world

For decades, the Savak was seen as the most hated symbol of repression that kept Iran’s last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in power – and

For decades, the Savak was seen as the most hated symbol of repression that kept Iran’s last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in power – and a main driving force behind the revolutionary fervor that toppled him in 1979. Now the deposed monarch’s son, Reza Pahlavi, has been forced to distance himself from the once-dreaded security agency after some of his most vociferous supporters glorified it as the defining emblem in their drive to install him on the throne in a royal restoration. Washington-based Pahlavi, 65, who has not been in Iran for 48 years, has portrayed himself as “uniquely positioned” to lead a transition to democracy to replace the current Islamic theocracy, which has been fighting for its survival since February when the US and Israel embarked on a campaign of military strikes, currently stalled amid a current shaky ceasefire and Pakistani-mediated negotiations. He thrust himself forward as a potential leader after protesters chanted his name and “javid shah” (long live the shah), in reference to the Iran’s long history of monarchical rule in mass demonstrations that gripped Iran last January before being brutally crushed by regime security forces. But former Pahlavi allies say his credentials have been undermined by “fascistic” supporters who have staged rallies at which they have flown banners and worn T-shirts emblazoned with the emblem of the Savak. Trained by the US and Israel, the Savak was widely seen as instrument of despotism which sustained his father’s rule by ruthlessly torturing and surveilling opponents. Following criticism that he had stayed silent, Pahlavi has belatedly denounced the displays in an awkwardly worded video message, calling the issue “relatively urgent”. “I don’t know where it is coming from,” he said. “I don’t want to get into a historical analysis of whether that organisation acted correctly or incorrectly, what it was not. “I will only say that it is a controversial issue. This is precisely the type of behaviour that gives an excuse to those that want to launch attacks on our movement.” Pahlavi’s denunciation was aired after his standing appeared to suffer a blow following revelations that the US and Israel had identified the former Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a likely replacement in the event of the Islamic regime collapsing.

The scheme to install Ahmadinejad is believed to have fallen through. Nevertheless, Pahlavi’s erstwhile supporters say the Savak displays have also eroded his status by mocking the values he once proclaimed. “I interviewed him in 2012 about Savak and he was clearly against torture or against anything that undermined human rights,” said Nik Kowsar, a US-based Iranian journalist and caricaturist who abandoned his former support for Pahlavi amid disagreements over hardline advisers. “The sad thing is Savak was seen an organization that was known to torture political activists or anybody criticizing [his father], as well as censoring the media. It wouldn’t represent democracy or liberalism, but that’s what a number of his avid fans are presenting right now.” Critics say the celebration of the Savak is consistent with others signs intolerance and authoritarianism in Pahlavi’s camp. At a rally in Munich in March, one supporter displayed a banner bearing the slogan “one nation, one flag, one leader” – closely evoking Nazi language supporting Hitler. Followers have also attacked journalists. Footage widely shared on social media showed the Iran-born CNN journalist, Christiane Amanpour being verbally abused by acolytes enraged at her description of Pahlavi as a “pretender to the throne” during an interview. Supporters – who commonly refer to him as “crown prince Reza” – have also complained about reporters addressing him as “Mr Pahlavi”. Pahlavi has himself been confrontational in his personal interactions with journalists. In a press conferences in Berlin in April, he abruptly cut off a female journalist who sought to ask him a follow-up question and became involved in a heated exchange with another who asked if he was “an agent of Israel”. He vented his anger in a subsequent video, accusing journalists of “silencing” the voices of the opponents of the Islamic regime. Pahlavi, has supported the US and Israeli strikes against Iran, and criticized European governments – notably Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, who he has accused of “appeasement” and compared to Neville Chamberlain. But he has also lately criticised Donald Trump, accusing him of sending “mixed signals” by threatening to destroy Iran’s civilisation. Some Pahlavi supporters have been accused of threatening his critics, creating an atmosphere of “fear and dread”, according to one.