I travelled in Iran back in 1975. When it was still ruled by the Shah, the Pahlavi dynasty. We drove a clapped-out Ford Anglia down the centre of this beautiful country to Isfahan, to visit our Aussie friends who were there teaching English. They introduced us to many of their friends and students. A happy, friendly, welcoming bunch.
We went riding trail bikes in the desert:
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| L to R: me, Oz Trail-riding in the desert outside Isfahan, May 1975 |
And then, in 1979, I remember watching in fascination when the Shah was overthrown and the Ayatollah Khomeini returned from Parisian exile to rapturous crowds in Tehran. I was fascinated but not horrified. I knew not enough of the horrors of theocratic Islamists to be horrified. I’ve learned that since.
The Khomeinists, the Islamists, were supported by the Iranian Left. The same Red-Green alliance we have today in the demos for Hamas. The “free, free Palestine from the River to the Sea” crowd, the “Queers for Palestine” crowd, the same type of loonies as those who supported Khomeini and his thugs back in 1979. Their fate would ultimately be the same as those Leftists in Iran — executed in vast purges in the 1980s, led by the then head of the “Death Committee” Ebrahim Raisi, later president of Iran, and in 2024, the late President, killed in a helicopter "accident" in May 2024.
Unlike Iraq, which had no leadership after the American invasion, Iran has the Shah’s family, his son,Reza Pahlavi, in the wings to take over. The Iranian monarchy is popular. They were modernists and modernisers. Sure they had the hated Savak secret police, and sure they were awful. But less awful than the Islamic theocracy. They too have their Savak, their own secret police. But they also publicly hang gays from cranes and beat women who don’t wear head coverings. The Middle East is “50 shades of Black”. Not goodies and baddies. There’s Bad and there’s Badder. And Baddest is the Ayatollas.
IOW, if Reza Pahlavi comes back, it’ll be one hell of a lot better for everyone in Iran, for the region and for the world. Immeasurably better. Even if not perfect.
Iranian exiled dissident Lily Moo (~20:20): The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have infiltrated all corners of the world: Africa, Europe, the U.S., (via the southern border these last four years).
“The Iranian people have been hostages in their own country for the last 46 years. Held hostage by a menacing, tumorous regime.” It’s time for the Iranian people to rise up. And for western governments to put pressure on Iranian representatives everywhere.
She describes how Isfahan has a "wonder of the world" buried underground. Where the regime has placed missile manufacturing and storage. The same strategy followed by their proxies Hamas in Gaza. Putting military facilities underneath hospitals and schools. War crimes. But who’s counting? Not the western luvvies.
From the Show Notes:
Is this FINALLY the end of the Islamic Regime’s occupation of Iran?
Join Israeli innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, journalist and Iran expert Emily Schrader, founder of Chochmat Nashim Shoshanna Keats-Jaskel and exiled Iranian dissident and activist Lily Moo, for an unfiltered conversation about the unprecedented conflict between Israel and the Islamic Regime.
The episode explores Israel’s daring precision strikes on Iranian missile convoys and nuclear sites, revealing the critical role of the Mossad and Israeli Air Force in one of the most advanced operations in modern warfare. The panel unpacks the sentiments inside Iran, where citizens are reportedly taking to the streets in defiance of the regime and calls grow louder for the return of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. The discussion exposes the Islamic Republic’s use of false-flag tactics to manufacture anti-Israel narratives and highlights the double standards of Western governments and activists who remain silent about Iranian atrocities while rallying under the banner of “Free Palestine.” There is sharp debate over U.S. involvement—both covert and overt—as the hosts reflect on American diplomatic positioning and Israel’s determination to go it alone if necessary.
The segment ends with the team’s signature “Scumbag of the Week,” taking aim at regime apologists, IRGC loyalists and naïve Western influencers. This episode offers a compelling, unfiltered look at a historic turning point for Iran, Israel and the free world.
