Pan-Iranist Party

Pan-Iranist Party
حزب پان‌ایرانیست
Ḥezb-e Pān-Irānist
General SecretaryDr. Sohrab Azam Zangane[1]
SpokespersonManouchehr Yazdi
FounderMohsen Pezeshkpour
Dariush Forouhar[2]
Founded1941; 83 years ago (1941)[3]
HeadquartersTehran, Iran
Parliamentary wingPan-Iranist parliamentary group (1967–71; 1978–79)
IdeologyPan-Iranism
Iranian nationalism[2]
State secularism
Historical:
Political positionRight-wing[8]
Colours  Green   White   Red
  Grey (customary)
Seats in the Parliament
0 / 290
Election symbol
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Party flag
Website
paniranistparty.com

The Pan-Iranist Party (Persian: حزب پان‌ایرانیست, romanized: Ḥezb-e Pān-Irāni) is an[6] opposition political party in Iran that advocates pan-Iranism. The party is not registered and is technically banned, however it continues to operate inside Iran.[1]

During the Pahlavi dynasty, the party was represented in the Parliament[9] and considered a semi-opposition within the regime, allowed to operate until officially denouncing Iran's assent to Bahraini independence in 1971.[10] The party was forced to close down and merge into the Resurgence Party in 1975.[citation needed]

It is an occasional supporter of the major nationalist party, National Front, and was nationalist with respect to its ideology.[11] Pan-Iranist Party was an anti-communist organization and regularly battled Tudeh Party of Iran mobs in the streets of Tehran.[12] In the context of the 1940s, it is described as a "secular ultranationalist party",[13] whereas in that of the mid-1960s, it is described as a "secular nationalist" party.[14] Nowadays, the party is marked by being against the pan-Islamism of the post-1979 Iranian government, as well as of the external threats posed by pan-Arabist and pan-Turkist aimed at ruining Iran's territorial integrity and cultural-civilizational heritage. Unlike pan-Arabist and pan-Turkist parties in the region, the pan-Iranist party does not advocate the return of Iran's former lands through irredentist plans, and its political program does not incorporate such plans either. Rather, it advocates the cultural integration of the Iranian civilizational basin.[15]

The Pan-Iranist Party spoke supportive of the Iranian Green Movement in 2009[16] and its discourse was revived in the 2010s by the conservatives who tactically adopted its positions amidst Iran–Saudi disagreements and clash.[17]

  1. ^ a b "COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT: IRAN" (PDF). Independent Advisory Group on Country. 31 August 2010. pp. 230, 234.
  2. ^ a b Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. pp. 257–258. ISBN 978-0-691-10134-7.
  3. ^ Rubin, Michael (2001). Into the Shadows: Radical Vigilantes in Khatami's Iran. Washington Institute for Near East Policy. p. 90. ISBN 978-0944029459.
  4. ^ Boroujerdi, Mehrzad; Rahimkhani, Kourosh (2018). Postrevolutionary Iran: A Political Handbook. Syracuse University Press. p. 344.
  5. ^ Azimi, Fakhreddin (2008). Quest for Democracy in Iran: A Century of Struggle Against Authoritarian Rule. Harvard University Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0674027787.
  6. ^ a b Weinbaum, Marvin (1973), "Iran finds a party system: the institutionalization of Iran Novin", The Middle East Journal, 27 (4): 439–455, JSTOR 4325140
  7. ^ Chubin, Shahram; Zabih, Sepehr (1974). The Foreign Relations of Iran: A Developing State in a Zone of Great-power Conflict. University of California Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0520026834.
  8. ^ The Middle East and North Africa 2003. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 416. ISBN 978-1857431322.
  9. ^ Milani, Abbas (2000). The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution. I.B.Tauris. p. 381. ISBN 9781850433286. Several reports from the American Embassy in Tehran refer to the Pan Iranist Party as one whose leadership was controlled by the government. For example, one report indicated, "Pan lranist deputies elected ... to Majlis can be expected to serve primarily as a propaganda instrument." National Archive, "Confidential Airgram: Pan Iranist Party, August 30, 1967." In another dispatch called "the Noisy Pan Iranists in Parliament" the embassy reports that "it should be emphasized that for many of these men-particularly the older ones- membership in the party has brought tangible rewards. Largely because of its close SAVAK connections, the party has been able to advance the careers of its members." NA, "The Noisy Pan Iranists in the Parliament, January 27, 1968."
  10. ^ Houchang E. Chehabi (1990). Iranian Politics and Religious Modernism: The Liberation Movement of Iran Under the Shah and Khomeini. I.B.Tauris. pp. 211, 272. ISBN 978-1850431985.
  11. ^ Poulson, Stephen (2006). Social Movements in Twentieth-century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks. Lexington Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-0739117576.
  12. ^ Mark J. Gasiorowski (1987). "Disintegration of Iranian National Front: Causes and Motives". The 1953 Coup d'Etat in Iran. 19 (3). Cambridge University Press: 261–286. doi:10.1017/s0020743800056737. S2CID 154201459.
  13. ^ Boroujerdi, Mehrzad; Rahimkhani, Kourosh (2018). Postrevolutionary Iran: A Political Handbook. Syracuse University Press. p. 344.
  14. ^ Matin-Asgari, Afshin (2018). Both Eastern and Western: An Intellectual History of Iranian Modernity. Cambridge University Press. p. 174.
  15. ^ Ahmadi, Hamid (2020). "Nationalism in Iran". In Kamrava, Mehran (ed.). Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics. Routledge. pp. 265–279.
  16. ^ Golnaz Esfandiari (22 June 2009). "Women At Forefront Of Iranian Protests". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  17. ^ Nozhan Etezadosaltaneh (4 August 2016). "Pan-Iranism: New Tactics of Conservatives in Iran". International Policy Digest. Retrieved 16 March 2017.