Pahlavi meets Coalition, seeks talks with Albanese and Wong

Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi has confirmed he will visit Australia following a virtual meeting with senior Coalition figures on Thursday, and has called for talks with the government.

Pahlavi met opposition leader Angus Taylor, shadow foreign affairs minister Ted O’Brien and other MPs and senators, in a meeting that followed the Coalition’s invitation last month.

He said the discussion covered human rights abuses in Iran, the protection of Iranian-Australians from foreign interference, and what Australia could do to support Iranians.

“We agreed the freedom of the Iranian people should transcend party politics. I would therefore welcome the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other members of the Australian Government, as well as continuing my dialogue with the Coalition,” Pahlavi said.

“I also look forward to visiting Australia in person, to meet political leaders from across the spectrum and, importantly, to meet members of the Iranian-Australian community.”

He said Australia had an opportunity to stand with the Iranian people while beginning to build a relationship with a future democratic Iran, and briefed the Coalition on the Iran Prosperity Project, his group’s planning for Iran’s economic recovery and reconstruction. Australian expertise in mining, energy, agriculture, education and technology could make Iran an economic and strategic partner, he said.

The Coalition said it had acknowledged Pahlavi’s role as a voice of opposition to the IRGC and a leader advocating for a free and democratic Iran, while restating that Iran’s future, including its leadership and system of government, was for Iranians to determine.

“Our engagement is not an endorsement of anyone as Iran’s future leader nor the form of its future government,” O’Brien said. “Credible voices advocating for a peaceful, democratic and secular future for Iran should be heard, particularly when there is such strong interest from Australians of Iranian heritage.”

The Coalition said it had reinforced its solidarity with Iranians and its commitment to protecting the safety and security of Iranian-Australians. Pahlavi raised concerns about intimidation directed at diaspora communities worldwide.

University of Queensland lecturer Reza Arab, a political advisor to the Iran Prosperity Project, told The AJN, “This meeting was important for Iranians inside Iran and the community in Australia because it shows that some in the Western world see their plight and hear their voice.

“The January massacre, when millions took to the streets calling for an end to the Islamic regime and the return of the Crown Prince, left a deep mark on us as a historical nation,” he said. “Meetings like this reaffirm that the universal cause of freedom and dignity still has friends in the West. It is encouraging that Australia’s Shadow Cabinet is willing to hear from the Crown Prince, engage seriously with Iranian-Australians, and learn about the Iran Prosperity Project.”

The engagement follows last year’s revelation that the Islamic Regime in Iran directed the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and the arson attack on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney, after which Australia expelled the Iranian ambassador, suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran and moved to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

Iranian community activist Ali Beikzadeh earlier told The AJN a visit would carry particular significance for Jewish Australians and would allow authorities to receive advice on the IRGC and regime sleeper cells operating here.

A spokesperson for Wong has said Iran’s political future should be determined by Iranians, and that Australia stands with all Iranians in their fight against oppression.