Across the globe, the Iranian diaspora has risen as a powerful voice for change—one that categorically rejects both the Islamic Republic and the repressive monarchy it replaced. United by decades of shared trauma and a clear vision for the future, Iranians in exile have declared that the future of Iran will not be defined by clerics or kings, but by the people, through a secular and democratic republic.

This rejection has echoed in the streets of major cities during mass protests, where slogans like
“Death to the Oppressor, Be It the Shah or the Supreme Leader”

have become synonymous with the movement’s clarity and political maturity. These chants are not just against individuals—they are rejections of systems of tyranny, of rule by decree, and of state violence in any form.

The people’s memory is sharp. They remember the SAVAK torture chambers under the Shah. They know the Shah’s dynasty laid the foundations for the theocracy by crushing democratic forces, silencing dissent, and handing power to an elite few. They remember executions, censorship, and humiliation. As a former political prisoner stated, “Dictatorship is dictatorship, whether in a crown or a turban.”

But it is not just the past that alarms today’s Iranians—it is the disturbing behavior of some vocal monarchist supporters today. In protests where the slogans of the people emphasize unity and rejection of all dictatorship, monarchist hardliners have arrived shouting chants like:

“Who is the god of all Iranians? King Reza Pahlavi!”
and “Death to the three corrupt: the mullahs, the leftists, and the MEK”.

These fascistic outbursts—reminiscent of both religious fanaticism and fascist cults of personality—have sparked widespread outrage. Iranians from across the political spectrum have denounced such displays as dangerous, divisive, and authoritarian. Many see these actions as proof that monarchist ideology is inherently undemocratic, willing to resort to bullying, threats, and historical revisionism to gain influence.

Even more disturbing are the boasts made by some about reviving the SAVAK, the Shah's notorious secret police, as a supposed solution to Iran's problems. These declarations have not only alienated ordinary Iranians but have also reminded them why they overthrew the monarchy in the first place.

In the face of such extremism, the diaspora has responded with clarity and resolve. Slogans like:
“We Don’t Want a Shah or Mullahs—Down with the Dictators” and “No Monarchy, No Theocracy—Yes to a Democratic Republic” capture the essence of the movement: no compromise with tyranny in any form.

As continuously reiterated by dissidents, “the goal is not to exchange one dictator for another, but to establish a republic founded on freedom, equality, and the separation of religion from the state.”

Iranians, especially the new generation, are not confused by regime propaganda or nostalgic revisionism. They are politically conscious and firm in their rejection of both the Islamic Republic and the Pahlavi dynasty. Those pushing for monarchist restoration today are not seen as saviors—but as tools of distraction that benefit the ruling regime by fracturing the real opposition.

The Iranian diaspora’s message is clear: they want neither kings nor clerics. They want freedom, democracy, justice—and a republic where power belongs only to the people.