Iran is forced to choose between the shah and the ayatollah. But we reject both

I received a video message from a dear friend three days ago at 6:30 p.m. Iran time, just as she had arrived at the protests in her hometown. She was excited to show me the large crowd filling the street, and I was excited too. She is only 20, and this was her first time attending a street protest. Knowing that she was standing up to a government widely documented to have no limits when it comes to violence against its own people unsettled me deeply.

My latest documentary short film, A Move, about the 2022 protest movement called Woman, Life, Freedom and how people with different beliefs are co-existing afterwards, is set in Mashhad, where I am from, though I now live in London. Mashhad is one of the most religious cities in Iran, yet is now witnessing some of the most crowded protests in the country, with demonstrators chanting for an end to the Islamic Republic regime.

Half an hour later, drawing on my own past experiences on the streets, I messaged her: “Be careful. Make some friends and stick together. Don’t move around by yourself.”

But it was too late. The internet was completely cut off, and a familiar pattern was set in motion: a manic, countrywide blackout – one that continues as I write this piece, three days later. I have been trying to reach out to my family and friends, but not a single way has worked out so far. We know that millions are on the street, and we know how brutal the armed forces of the regime are, and that’s it. We can’t even check in to see if they survived the day’s protests… And this is the story of millions of Iranians in diaspora.  

This round of protests began 17 days ago, sparked in grand bazaars – the economic heart of the country – across Iran, amid soaring inflation, a massive drop in the value of the local currency, and an increasingly unstable economic situation. It grew larger every day and evolved into a political movement, reaching the point we see now: millions in the streets, stretching far beyond the capital, from major cities to the smallest villages in my province, where all my family live. Even cities and villages that rarely appear in headlines have joined the protests, chanting and demanding an end to the dictatorship that has ruled our lives for 47 years.

Iran is a deeply diverse country, home to more than seven major ethnic groups and languages, multiple religions, and a wide spectrum of political views. Yet because of its rich human and natural resources, it has remained of strategic interest to many western powers for more than 80 years. As a result, Iranians have rarely been left alone to decide their own future. The country’s first – and last – democratically elected government was overthrown in a 1953 coup backed by the US and the UK. Since then, those powers have repeatedly shaped dictatorships ruling Iran, from the last king of Iran, to the ayatollah’s regime. 

Now, in 2026, the exiled US- and Israel-backed crown prince Reza Pahlavi is being promoted as the leader of the movement. A politically far-right figure, and the son of the last shah of Iran, who was overthrown in 1979, Pahlavi is positioning himself to take power, this time with financial and political support from the US and Israel, most visibly associated with Trump and Netanyahu. Many Iranians, both inside and outside the country, fear the rise of yet another authoritarian figure – one who shows little respect for human rights, Iran’s ethical values as a multicultural society, or freedom. 

This fear is rooted in lived history: Pahlavi’s family previously ignored the will of the majority, who sought a democratic republican system rather than a monarchy. Despite these concerns, he continues to be advertised internationally as the face of the current protest movement.

There is no doubt that some Iranians admire Pahlavi’s views and want him in power. Their numbers have risen sharply over the past few years – a rise that coincides with sustained, well-funded media campaigns, largely backed by Israel and its allies, presenting him as the only viable alternative to the current regime. This growth must also be understood in the context of widespread desperation, produced by the brutality and chronic dysfunction of the existing regime.

Meanwhile, nearly all other opposition voices inside Iran have been silenced – imprisoned, killed, forced into exile, or placed under constant surveillance by the Islamic Republic. This systematic erasure has narrowed what the world is allowed to see. Yet millions of protesters remain who reject both the Islamic Republic and a far-right monarchy. They are a central force within this revolution, but are often rendered invisible by international media coverage, which amplifies chants such as “Long live the king!” – one slogan elevated above a far more complex political reality.

Before going out on to the streets, my 20-year-old friend asked me whether she should attend the protest despite the monarchists trying to claim it as their own. I told her yes – protesting is the way forward. Authoritarianism does not disappear by waiting for perfect political conditions. If another group tries to claim the movement, that is a different struggle we must confront. For now, we go out in solidarity for a free Iran. I keep watching her last video message, hoping that she will come back online soon and send me a new video, smiling.

We have been under severe crackdowns before, and have seen a lot of resistance and killings, but this time is different. As far as we know, and based on the few videos that came out before the blackout, and the very few who gained access to the satellite internet Starlink during the past three days and could upload videos, there have been more protesters on the streets than ever, which scares us hugely as that means, also, more death. 

This is an extremely fast-changing situation, particularly in light of Donald Trump’s stated intention of military intervention in Iran, in cooperation with a key regional ally, Israel. The US president’s latest claim was that “we’re ready and on our way to helping the Iranian people”. History has taught Iranians to be deeply sceptical of such promises – especially when they come from the genocidal state of Israel and its allies. Despite leftist movements and Iran’s civil society striving for decades to bring about systemic change from within, foreign intervention and the installation of yet another proxy figure is not what we have been fighting for. 

Still, we are desperate to rid ourselves of this dictatorship and rebuild our beautiful country. I hope this will happen very soon, peacefully without a new war, with the world’s help during the transition period. Without a deadly or colonial foreign intervention, and in a way that aligns with the progressive movement we began three years ago: Woman, Life, Freedom.

Elahe Esmaili is an Iranian independent filmmaker based in the UK whose films focus on social issues in Iran, and have gained international recognition. Watch her latest short documentary, ‘A Move’, about women’s resistance against mandatory hijab here.