Pan-Iranist Party



The Pan-Iranist Party (PIP) is a small far-right opposition party founded in Iran advocating for However, the party is not registered in Iran and is banned by the current regime, though it continues to clandestinely operate inside Iran and outside Iran as well, mostly in the West.

Despite being nationalistic, the party is secular (echoing Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's ideology of nationalism and secularism), and state that they want the unification of Iranian people via irredentism and imperialism. Some groups have been targeted by the organization, such as Jews, Arabs, Christians, and Muslims (despite Iran formerly being a muslim majority country).

The party was represented in the parliament during the Pahlavi dynasty. It was considered somewhat of an opposition group in the regime, but was allowed to operate until they criticized Iran's agreement to Bahraini independence in 1970. This event was the catalyst that resulted in their ban within Iran, but this did little to halt the group's activity as they would continue their activity in exile from the West.

Ideology
The party generally adheres to far-right nationalism, as it was founded during a time of national identity when colonial superpowers occupied the country. As its name states, the party advocates for Pan-Iranism and Iranian ultranationalism, and additionally adhere to chauvinism , irredentism , and expansionism.

However, after Pezeshkpour's return to Iran, he and other former party leaders denounced the fascist structure and symbolism of the organization, claiming their commitment to plurality and democracy, and their willingness to cooperate with other opposition groups. However, their current activity does not reflect their claim.

The PIP has also engaged in violence against dissidents, specifically the communist Tudeh party. Some members abroad have been arrested for their political activity.

History
The party was founded in 1951 by and  several years after the  during World War II. During this time, many Iranians felt insecure about their national safety and saw the Shah as a puppet and a traitor. Because of this, several students banded together into groups and founded a small far-right organization that would later grow into the Pan-Iranist Party.

The party was somewhat influential within the country before its ban. However, alliances with other nationalist groups were rare or non-existent as most were officially banned. Most male and female members wore uniforms not unlike those of European fascists. Forouhar strongly opposed this, though the paramilitary nature of the party was largely symbolic, and members did not carry weapons. However, some members were not required to wear uniforms.

Present day
Many hardline conservative Iranian politicians today have adopted the general attitude of the party in regards to the tensions and conflict with Saudi Arabia, seeing them through a somewhat racialized lens. In addition, online youth groups have helped to spread the popularity of the party and its movement and ideology across the internet to Iranian diaspora worldwide (similar to Indian nationalist/Hindutva movements for Indian diaspora worldwide).

The current leadership, headed by Zahra Gholamipour, believes in a more democratic style of government and cooperating with leftists. However, there are currently no known/public instances of these alliances yet.

Due to Iran's changing religious demographics, Islam is no longer the dominant religion, which may possibly affect the Pan-Iranist Party's view of Islam as a whole in future events, especially with the increase of Christians, Zoroastrians, and atheists and growing hatred and hostility against Islam.