Financial Times
By Guy Dinmore in Washington
Published: March 1 2006 23:31 | Last updated: March 1 2006 23:31

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Shah of Iran who still holds out the possibility of returning to the throne, expressed his frustration with Iran’s fractious opposition groups on Wednesday, urging them to unite against the Islamic regime.

Mr Pahlavi’s appearance at a Washington press conference was intended to promote his attempt to bridge historic divisions among the opposition. However, his comments served to highlight their rivalries as well as the difficulties facing the Bush administration in finding worthy recipients of US funding to push for democratic change in Iran.

The US-trained former air force pilot spoke of the “gap” between the diaspora and Iran’s internal opposition, and appealed to Iranians to have the courage to stand up for what they believe in.

“We have hidden behind masks for far too long,” he said.

Citing the frustration of Iranian student activists inside Iran, he said their message was: “Put up or shut up.”

From the context of his remarks, Mr Pahlavi was directing his comments towards the bitterly divided and largely ineffectual opposition groups in exile – ranging from monarchists to republicans, communists and Islamists.

Mr Pahlavi said he was making efforts to unite the opposition and conceded that in the past they had erected “silly, childish barriers” and lost credibility. But recently they had undergone a sea-change, he claimed, following visits to Europe where he met other opposition activists.

Speaking of some “marginal groups” and “diehards”, Mr Pahlavi appeared to rule out a rapprochement with the opposition People’s Mujahideen Organisation. Known as the MKO, they fought against his father’s rule before turning against the current regime, and are designated a terrorist group by the US.

Many Iranians in the US remain skeptical that, despite their collective wealth, the exiled opposition will be able to bridge differences that pre-date the 1979 revolution and exert a meaningful influence on events inside Iran.

As eldest son of the late shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who died in Egypt in 1980, Mr Pahlavi is regarded by his followers as the current shah.

Whenever asked whether he aspires to be king again, Mr Pahlavi, who is 45 and lives in Virginia, says it is up to the Iranian people to decide on their form of government.

Last month, the Bush administration asked Congress for a further $75m this year to promote democratic change in Iran, including $50m for a Farsi-language television station. Officials from the State Department and the Pentagon recently visited Los Angeles to meet Iranians running radio and television stations that direct their programming at Iran.

Mr Pahlavi said millions of Iranians were waiting “to explode” but that they needed help from outside, specifically in communications.

But he also made clear his opposition to any US military intervention in Iran, which he said would only serve to strengthen the Islamic government, as well as foreign funding of Iranian political organisations. However he did endorse US backing for the media.