Yet the issue of an alternative leadership for Iran remains unresolved. Many Iranians, eager to end the 47-year-long rule of the clerics, still view a return to monarchical rule with suspicion. Pahlavi’s supporters, including on the foreign satellite channels, highlight the many calls for the return of the shah being heard in the crowds. One Iranian described Iran as living in an era of no manifesto politics. Either way, the current reformist Iranian leadership, struggling to understand the evaporation of the nationalism created by the 12-day war in June, has few solutions left.

Source: The Guardian January 10, 2026 17:48 UTC