Daring Iranians demonstrate how ready they are for regime change

Strange graffiti has been appearing on the streets of Iran. Following Iran’s ballistic attacks on Israel in April, messages scrawled on walls in Iran have been encouraging Israel to retaliate and do away with the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

Then, yesterday a guerilla street artist installed an unauthorized street name in the suburbs of Tehran, renaming the road “Netanyahu Street.”

Iranians renamed a street in Tehran to “Netanyahu, the destroyer of evil” 👇

So many brave Iranians... The regime will be toppled soon and Iran will become great again!pic.twitter.com/IF8LIBlO40
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) December 14, 2024

As much as Israelis may be conflicted about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he is surprisingly popular among the people of Iran.

In an interview with ALL ISRAEL NEWS, British Iranian, Roobin Norouzi, was eager to explain: “Do you know what it says at the top? It says, 'Netanyahu, cleaner of wickedness.' This reflects the knowledge in our society, the atmosphere among real Iranian people on the streets.”

Norouzi (47) is from Tehran but like many others who fled Iran, he has made his home in the United Kingdom. “Iranians are on the side of Israel obviously,” says Norouzi, “Mainly because the exiled king made peace with Netanyahu.”

In Norouzi’s mind, this was the turning point, it pivoted the people away from the IRGC and toward a vision of Iran with a very different leader. And it was all in the context of reconnecting with Israel.

Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi traveled to Israel in April 2023 to reconnect the two countries. He visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center, prayed at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and had in-depth discussions with Netanyahu.

In a statement, he said, “We are very happy to be here and are dedicated to working toward the peaceful and prosperous future that the people of our region deserve. From the children of Cyrus, to the children of Israel, we will build this future together, in friendship.”

Cyrus the Great of the ancient Persian Empire not only gave the Jewish people their freedom from exile in Babylon but sent them back to Israel with permission and resources to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Pahlavi described the friendship between the two countries as a “biblical relationship over centuries.”

“There’s ancient history between Israel and Iran” Norouzi affirms, “but in the last 45 years the Republic took over and that relationship suffered. The Jews fled.”

Iran once had a large Jewish population and houses the tombs of both Mordecai and Esther, whose stories are told in the Book of Esther.

Norouzi said that Islamic fundamentalists attacked the ancient sites about a year ago, “but Iranians defended them. We’re proud of Mordecai and Esther,” he said. “Now young Iranians are coming into the knowledge of our history which has been hidden from us by the Republic.”

He explained that much of Iran’s ancient history had been erased or covered up by the IRGC, but that academics like Professor Abbas Milani, who fled the country in the 1980s, began to write books about it. Other notable works include Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and The Oil Kings by Andrew Scott Cooper.

“Now it’s all coming to the surface, and the younger generation is hearing about it,” Norouzi said. Truth always comes out eventually. Norouzi said he has seen a video of high school children refusing to shout the obligatory “Death to Israel,” much to their teacher’s irritation.

Similar videos of Iranian students refusing to walk on the Israeli flag have also emerged. The young ones have had enough of hate.

Along with Pahlavi’s visit to Israel, Norouzi credits the women’s uprising as being a significant factor in turning the people against the Islamic regime.

“Since [the] women’s protests, loads of things became clear,” he says, referring to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. “It was a wake-up call to the new generation.”

In a poll conducted by the Netherlands-based Gamaan Institute in February last year, just 1% of Iranians outside the country supported the IRGC, and only 15% inside Iran were in favor.

“In response to the question 'Islamic Republic: Yes or No?' 81% of respondents inside the country responded 'No' to the Islamic Republic, 15% responded 'Yes,' and 4% were not sure. Of the Iranian respondents abroad, 99% responded 'No,' opting against the Islamic Republic,” GAMAAN reported.

In short, an overwhelming majority want to see the end of the Islamic regime. Norouzi said he believed the true figure to be even higher, saying he felt "95% were against the IRGC, and this is a statistic I have heard from other Iranians as well."

Norouzi, like many others, has had family executed by the IRGC. “They killed two of my uncles,” he said. Now he and many others are looking to a partnership between Pahlavi and Netanyahu to bring a new day for Iran.

He described the crown prince as “very democratic, liberal, and secular. He’s a genuine, nice man.”

When asked his opinion about Netanyahu, he said, “Ah Bibi, we love Bibi!” He exclaimed. “He’s our man.” He said Iranians love him so much there’s a famous Iranian song about him called Bibi Goal.

In the Farsi language “Bibi” means great aunt, and “goal” or “gol” means flower, leading to a comedic and affectionate tribute.

“I know there are disagreements but, come on now, he’s doing his job,” said Norouzi. “He’s cleared the area, the whole region, very well not only for Israel's protection but he’s also protecting us. We’ll stand by Israel and we’ve found our best mate. We’ve been separated for 45 years but now we’re back, we’ve woken up.”

Speaking on Fox News, Pahlavi was critical of the Biden administration’s policy of appeasement towards the Islamic regime and spoke about the great challenge faced by Iranian Christians who cannot openly worship Jesus as Christmas approaches. He said with confidence that the downfall of the IRGC was only “a matter of time.”

Netanyahu also said in a speech directed to the Iranian people on Thursday, "One day, Iran will be free," promising that, "Together, we will transform the Middle East into [a] beacon of prosperity, progress and peace."