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THE INDEPENDENTIsrael’s Yellow Line closing in on the space where Gaza civilians can still liveTHE INDEPENDENTMapped: The areas in France and Spain affected by raging wildfiresMAIL & GUARDIANHillbrow's streets become a stage for freedom before Women's DayTHE GUARDIANHealthy diet too expensive for one in three people globally, UN report findsMAIL & GUARDIANJohnson says she was unaware that Idac investigated Political Killings Task TeamLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEWashington's stranglehold on YemenBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotTHE INDEPENDENTEurope is on fire - will the continent’s climate change deniers finally wake up?MAIL & GUARDIAN‘PIC whistleblower takes board overhaul battle to Parliament ahead of Dlamini court challenge’BRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialTHE GUARDIANHealth worker monitored for Ebola in London hospital after working in DRCTHE GUARDIANMoD cancels army training in Kenya over powers to prosecute British soldiersTHE DIPLOMATThe Limits of China’s Growing Influence at the United NationsTHE INDEPENDENTNearly 7 in 10 Americans say Trump has failed to explain Iran war goals, poll findsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEThe genocide that still haunts NamibiaTHE DIPLOMATIndia’s Gen Z Protesters Score Major Victory Against Modi GovernmentMAIL & GUARDIANWe shape leaders while they are youngTHE INDEPENDENTEurope wildfires latest: France evacuates thousands more as wildfire closes in on Bordeaux ahead of new heatwaveLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEJuly: the longer viewBRASIL WIREGenerals Convicted: Inside Brazil’s Historic Bolsonaro Coup Trial VerdictLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEHighly strategic maritime bordersTHE GUARDIANUganda begins emergency food handouts after 19 die from hungerLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEHumans and tigers: life among the mangrovesBRASIL WIREIn Offering Brazil’s Future to the US, Flávio Bolsonaro Endangers our Sovereignty and DemocracyBRASIL WIREBolsoMaster: Bolsonaro Ties to Brazil’s Biggest Banking Fraud in History ExposedMAIL & GUARDIANThe National Democratic Revolution. 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How Far Have We Come?THE DIPLOMATIndia Successfully Tests Kusha Long-range Surface-to-Air MissileTHE GUARDIANTwo Russian men jailed in Angola for terrorism and spyingTHE DIPLOMATChina, Japan, and the Memory Security DilemmaTHE DIPLOMATNew Global Trade Arrangement Gains Momentum – And It’s Worth Watching
EconomicJan 151
Iran

#DarkPropaganda No. 6 | The Queen Who Never Was

#Dark_Propaganda No. 6 | The Queen Who Never Was

Some fantasies are so bold they deserve their own museum wing.

Exhibit A: the sudden rebranding of Maryam Rajavi as Iran’s future first woman ruler, ready to glide into Tehran the morning after the “inevitable fall” of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In this fairy tale, history is optional, geography is flexible, and popularity is assumed—very assumed.

Decades of exile? A cult-like organization ( MEK ) with a record so controversial even its former Western patrons tiptoe around it? No problem. Just add a press release, a panel at a European parliament, and a few stock photos of applauding audiences who couldn’t locate Iran on a map without Google.

The script is always the same. First, declare the IRI “days from collapse.” Second, introduce a pre-packaged alternative leader—preferably fluent in English, allergic to Iranian streets, and very comfortable with Western talking points. Third, repeat the phrase “first woman to rule Iran” until symbolism replaces legitimacy.

What’s missing from the story is the inconvenient detail of Iranians themselves. The millions who don’t recognize Rajavi as a political figure, let alone a national leader. The collective memory that hasn’t forgotten the MEK’s past, no matter how aggressively it’s Photoshopped out of existence. And the basic question no one in these think tanks ever answers: ruled over whom, exactly?

This isn’t feminism. It’s ventriloquism. A cardboard crown held up by foreign microphones, sold as “liberation,” and marketed as progress. The goal isn’t a woman leading Iran—it’s anyone leading Iran who doesn’t come from Iran.

So yes, some dare to suggest it. Not because it’s plausible, but because dark propaganda thrives on spectacle, not substance. When reality refuses to cooperate, invent a queen—and hope no one asks where her kingdom is.

#DarkPropaganda No. 6 | The Queen Who Never Was | The Observer