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China-Honduras Relationship Headed?THE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Trump says there is ‘no timeframe’ for ending conflict as standoff in Strait of Hormuz continuesTHE INDEPENDENTUS Navy chief John Phelan ousted from Trump administration as Strait of Hormuz stand-off continuesLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEJustice: under pressureMAIL & GUARDIANA community reckoning on the Senqu Bridge launch on 22 April 2026THE DIPLOMATWhy Trump Should Make China-US Relations Great AgainTHE DIPLOMATHow Bonded Labor Fuels Illegal Organ Harvesting in PakistanMAIL & GUARDIANCapitec at 25: how scale, trust and practical innovation are reshaping access to financeBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREInside Brazil’s X Ban: How Elon Musk Started–and lost–a Fight With Brazil’s JudiciaryTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Moscow’s battlefield gains grind to a halt with forces making ‘worst progress in two years’MAIL & GUARDIANMalawi’s hospital crackdown ignites legal firestormTHE INDEPENDENTFour people in critical condition after two trains collide in northern DenmarkTHE DIPLOMATA US Strategy For Defending Taiwan – Before a WarMAIL & GUARDIANTolashe faces second wave of criminal complaints as DA enters SUV probeLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEApril: the longer viewTHE GUARDIANBritish woman died in Ghana trying to recoup money from scammers, inquest toldTHE GUARDIANTrump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US forces to CongoLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEThis is Israel's warTHE GUARDIANCharlize Theron joins chorus of disapproval over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet commentsBRASIL WIRENathália Urban Presente!THE INDEPENDENTMan dies after being hit by bus at Dublin AirportTHE GUARDIANTaiwan president blames China for forced cancellation of Eswatini tripBRASIL WIREMinister warns of “industrial-scale” organized disinformation campaign, hindering disaster effortsLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKurdish women's struggle for gender equality – and much else besidesLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKazakhstan's industrial and mining monotownsTHE GUARDIANHeatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report findsMAIL & GUARDIANA tale of two Middle East voyagesTHE DIPLOMATA Good Ban, Done Wrong: How to Accelerate Lasting and Just Solutions Amid Bali’s Waste CrisisTHE DIPLOMATWhere Is the China-Honduras Relationship Headed?THE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Trump says there is ‘no timeframe’ for ending conflict as standoff in Strait of Hormuz continues
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.