And it is even unfair to say that there is a single opposition front. Instead, it is safe to say that the affected unity among the Iranian opposition has become a thing of the past. Those opposition ringleaders who once were keen to put up a fake unity are now busy eviscerating each other in what appears to be a result of the unwitting recognition that their efforts to overthrow the Islamic Republic have ended in abysmal failure.
The united opposition charade began when a number of heterogeneous elements representing various opposition groups organized a gathering at Georgetown University, where they wryly hugged each other in a show of unity. But the episode reached the end from the get-go.
This is because the opposition groups have been vying with each other for getting grants by proving their betrayal of their homeland to foreign patrons, with some even calling for foreign intervention in Iran.
In addition, the atmosphere in opposition circles is extremely virulent and pugnacious, which ultimately led to the unraveling of the opposition.
The American Politico publication has recently offered a glimpse into this atmosphere in a long read. It said members of the Iranian opposition have harassed, threatened, and intimidated each other over the course of unrest in Iran, which broke out last September. Threats, according to Politico, included burning each other alive. “Many Iranian expats have been smeared, harassed and threatened by their angry peers,” Politico wrote, adding that the attacks overwhelmingly target women, most notably in North America and Europe. The victims include gender equality activists, journalists, foreign policy analysts and a historian, according to the publication.
Politico said, “It is unclear who many of the assailants are, because many of the attacks are anonymous, often using social media accounts without clear provenance. Some of the harassment may be orchestrated by institutions, rather than actual people. But there are plenty of humans launching the attacks, too. Some are well-known figures in the Iranian expat community, others are less-known, but all of them are hardliners with a commitment to aggressively isolating Iran.”
While Politico discussed the enmity between proponent and opponents of diplomacy with Iran, the rivalry and differences among the so-called opposition coalition of Georgetown is much worse.
Hamed Esmailion, a member of the coalition, has recently walked out of it because of the boorish and autocratic behavior of his fellow coalition member, Reza Pahlavi, who owns a group of apparatchiks smearing other oppositionists.
The undemocratic and uncivilized behavior of the opposition groups has led many observers to ponder over what could happen if they succeed in achieving their goals. The opposition groups, some believe, are not qualified to run a village, let alone a country of Iran’s size with all its diversity and complexity.
At any rate, the opposition unraveled but the Islamic Republic of Iran still stands tall. With differences among the opposition coming to the surface, Pahlavi and his minions appear to be looking for a new patron, particularly after Western countries saw with their own eyes the poisonous politics of the Iranian opposition. To this end, Pahlavi, a pollical daydreamer, has recently paid a visit to Israel.
Pahlavi’s trip to Israel came at a time when both sides are feeling isolated due to Iran’s success in putting an end to the unrest and patching up diplomatic relations with its immediate neighbors.
By Soheila Zarfam
First published in Tehran Times