'No to War': Iranian opposition abroad pushes back against US-Israeli strikes

In the first hours of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, opponents of the war and critics of the Islamic Republic from across the political spectrum quickly made their divergent voices heard on Farsi social media.

While anti-war activists were swift to revive the Farsi hashtag “No to War” on Saturday, pro-monarchy groups and individuals, led by Reza Pahlavi, called for an escalation of attacks on Iran.

Pahlavi, the Israel-aligned son of the country’s last shah, has been at the helm of a movement advocating the restoration of the monarchy. Since Israel’s 12-day war on Iran last year, his camp has mounted an aggressive media campaign against rival opposition voices.

Rejecting foreign military action on Iran, Panah Farhadbahman, a well-known critic of the Iranian establishment, likened Pahlavi supporters calling for extensive US strikes to those who backed the Islamic Republic during the 1979 revolution.

“Remember, this is no longer 1979. Whatever you say and whatever you do will be recorded. Tomorrow you cannot tell your children, future generations, or history that ‘we weren’t there, we didn’t do it, we didn’t see it’,” the journalist wrote on X.

In another post, Farhadbahman said: “By destroying military and vital infrastructure, Israel and the United States are not only putting pressure on the Islamic Republic, but also on any future government. They are not seeking freedom for the people or even the fall of the Islamic Republic. They want to weaken the Iran of tomorrow.”

As calls for more strikes grew louder among certain monarchist circles, criticism of Pahlavi also intensified.

Some users shared images of Pahlavi alongside his father and grandfather, who ruled Iran with an iron fist from 1925 to 1979. Each was shown next to the flag of the country seen as his main foreign backer.

For his grandfather, it was Britain, which supported the 1921 coup that brought him to power. For his father, it was the US, whose CIA backed the coup that returned him to the throne in 1953. Reza Pahlavi was placed next to the flag of Israel, seen as his main supporter today.

'The blood is on your hands'

For many opposition figures outside Iran, Pahlavi’s ties to Israel are the most troubling part of his political position and have drawn strong criticism.

Behrouz Farahani, a political activist and analyst critical of the Iranian establishment, posted a report on Facebook about Israeli soldiers shooting a Palestinian child, and wrote: “And they want to bring democracy to the Iranian people!”

The Toofan group, another opposition movement abroad, also condemned the attacks, saying: “War of aggression is not a solution to any problem. It is the problem. It increases the suffering and pain of the nation. It brings neither freedom, nor progress, nor peace. It leads to endless chaos with no clear end.”

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Meanwhile, images of a girls’ school struck in the southern city of Minab, where officials said at least 85 people were killed - almost all of them girls aged between seven and 12 - were widely shared by opposition accounts.

One user reposted a video from the scene and wrote: “No to the Islamic regime. No to war. No to Israeli and US aggression. No to fascism and Pahlavi.”

While this view reflects the concerns of many Iranians inside and outside the country, other figures backed by the US, including journalist Masih Alinejad, called for continued attacks on Iran.

Responding to Alinejad, an Iranian user reposted footage of the aftermath of an air strike that the journalist had shared earlier, criticising what they described as her support for war.

The user said: “Alinejad posted this video with joy, saying [former President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad’s house was hit and that he was probably killed, along with other officials. But she ignored the panic and screams of people at the scene, and the fact that nearby homes were likely destroyed and others may have been killed.”

The anti-war campaign on Persian social media has also reached religious minorities who face pressure and restrictions inside Iran.

In recent days, a video of Pastor Mona Pahlevani has been widely shared.

Pahlevani addressed Iranians who support the war, saying: “You are responsible for the deaths of Iranians. You who asked Trump for help. Don’t come tomorrow and hold marches for the Iranian dead. The blood of the people killed in the war that Trump started is on your hands.”