Email from Zionist Organization of America   ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA IN THE MEDIA     JPost Op-Ed by ZOA Honoree and Supporter Ali Meli: The Failure of Iran Opposition's Proposed Transition Plan   Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, speaks during a press conference about the situation in Iran and the need to support Iranians, in Paris, France, June 23, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor)   The Emergency Booklet risks echoing 1979’s transitional failures, where ambiguities enabled theocratic authoritarianism. By Daniel Jafari, Ali Saadat Meli (September 8, 2025 / Jerusalem Post) In their August 31 Jerusalem Post op-ed, “Backing Pahlavi’s transition plan,” Saeed Ghasseminejad and Aidin Panahi advocate for Western support of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s vision, as detailed in the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI) Emergency Booklet developed under its Iran Prosperity Project. They emphasize the regime’s vulnerabilities (economic collapse, protests, and isolation) and the promise of a democratic Iran dismantling nuclear threats and proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas, advancing Israel’s security and regional peace via the Abraham Accords. As proponents of Iran’s constitutional monarchy, we echo this hope for regime change. However, the op-ed glosses over significant flaws in NUFDI’s booklet, dismissing critics in a manner that fragments the opposition and overlooks NUFDI’s own history of failure. Division in opposition camp Ghasseminejad and Panahi brand critics of the Emergency Booklet as “MEK trolls” or “Tehran’s cyber units,” alleging sabotage by a “Marxist-Islamist cult.” This is a gross misrepresentation of the criticisms of NUFDI’s booklet. Indeed, its most vocal critics have been the secular, right-of-center, pro-monarchy activists and organizations inside and outside Iran. It’s ironic that Ghasseminejad, who started his political career as a leader in the Office for Strengthening of Unity Between Universities and Theological Seminaries (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat-e Hozeh va Daneshgah), a left-wing Islamist student group aligned with the faux-reformist faction of the Islamic Republic regime, accuses detractors of being leftists. Disconcertingly, some of the authors of the Emergency Booklet have a very recent history of anti-Israeli bias. Alarming authors Disconcertingly, some of the authors of the Emergency Booklet have a very recent history of anti-Israeli bias. For example, Ms. Anahita Hosseini, one of its authors, sorrowfully complains in a social media post that “the world condemns Iran [but] never questions why Israel has nuclear weapons.” On June 15, Hosseini called on Iranians and non-Iranians to “condemn Israel’s attack [on the Islamic Republic in the 12-day war].” It is worth noting that one of the main criticisms of the booklet is that it tries to recreate the power structures of the Islamic Republic. It’s perfectly legitimate to question Ghasseminejad’s motives for involving such individuals as authors. The names of prominent supporters of the Emergency Booklet are cause for more alarm. For example, Sadegh Bigdeli, a former senior consultant and negotiator under Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and foreign minister Javad Zarif, is one of many such figures. Bigdeli was appointed in 2014 to negotiate on behalf of the Islamic Republic. He has defended the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal as a “diplomatic achievement,” while the pact has been lambasted by many observers for enriching Tehran, funding terrorism against Israel, and failing to halt its nuclear march toward breakout capability. NUFDI’S eagerness to collaborate with such figures may be a natural consequence of their unwillingness or inability to work with more principled right-of-center Iranians who oppose the Islamic Republic. Through years of burning bridges with the opposition, it is left with the newly defected figures from the regime to ally with, with little to no results to show for their efforts. NUFDI’s inclusion of figures with past ties to the regime or support for deals like the JCPOA has eroded public confidence in their sincerity. Constitutional backing is necessary The Emergency Booklet also risks echoing 1979’s transitional failures, where ambiguities enabled theocratic authoritarianism. A detailed critique from the Iranian Americans for Liberty exposes further flaws, arguing that NUFDI preemptively discards Iran’s pre-1979 Constitution, creating a legal vacuum prone to chaos while creating an unaccountable “National Uprising Institution” mimicking Ayatollah Khomeini’s “Revolutionary Council.” Continue Reading   Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email   DONATE   www.zoa.org   Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2025. All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave 31 B | New York, NY 10017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice