Iranian exile factions vie for US leaders' blessing to lead Iran

"One camp of Maga world figures has thrown its weight behind Maryam Rajavi, the Paris-based leader of the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK, what some call a cultlike organization that was once aligned with Saddam. Although it's reported to be unpopular in Iran, the group has forged strong ties in Washington, often using the MEK's political face, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, to lobby."

"Soon after US strikes began, Giuliani insisted that the MEK was poised to replace the regime. They have a shadow government ready to go. Rajavi tried to stake a claim fast, announcing a provisional government the day the US bombing started. Seven days later another figure, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, stepped in to contend that he will be in charge."

"As a US battle group steamed to the Gulf in November 2002, competing Iraqi exiles, some championed by American insiders, jockeyed for position in the hopes of taking charge once George W Bush toppled Saddam Hussein. The most notorious Iraqi exile, failed former banker Ahmad Chalabi, boasted to his neoconservative allies that his return to Baghdad would be welcomed by cheering throngs."

As the US military conducts operations against Iran, competing Iranian exile groups seek American support to govern Iran post-regime change. The MEK, led by Maryam Rajavi and based in Paris, has cultivated strong Washington connections through its political arm, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, gaining backing from figures like Rudy Giuliani and Mike Pompeo. Simultaneously, Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last Shah, claims the Iranian people have called him to lead the transition. This factional competition echoes the 2002 Iraqi exile landscape, when Ahmad Chalabi and Ayad Allawi vied for American support to rule post-Saddam Iraq. Both scenarios involve external powers selecting potential leaders before regime change occurs.

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