Middle East. What to know about Iranian opposition movements
The conflict in Iran escalated Monday, after the country launched multiple missiles against an American military base in Qatar in retaliation for the U.S. strike on its nuclear facilities over the weekend.
The big picture: Althoughits government is facing immense pressure amid Israel’s war against Iran — and despite decades of mass protests in Iran — there is currently no clear and organized opposition movement rising in the country.
Who is Iran’s leader?
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has been in the position since 1989, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.
- Before the U.S. strike, Khamenei said in a televised speech last week that the Islamic Republic « will not surrender » and threatened that if the U.S. takes military action against Iran, « it will undoubtedly cause irreparable consequences to them. »
Zoom in: Khamenei has been in hiding over fears of Israeli assassination.
- Israel had an operational window to assassinate Khamenei, but President Trump made it clear that he was against such a move, U.S. officials told Axios earlier this month.
- Khamenei has named potential successors amid the escalating war.
Who are the Iranian opposition groups?
Iran’s opposition is broken up into different factions and rivaling groups, with no mass uprising clearly in place. Some of them include:
- The National Council of Resistance of Iran, currently led by Maryam Rajavi, is a political coalition based in France and Albania that has called for the overthrowing of the current regime.
- The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, also known as the MEK or MKO, is a revolutionary faction that lost power after the shah was overthrown during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The group, which backs the National Council of Resistance, was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. until 2012.
- Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, who fled in 1979 during the revolution, has recently called for a regime change through nonviolent means, Reuters reported.
