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Pan-Iranist (Pan-Iranian) Party

Last modified: 2020-10-17 by ian macdonald
Keywords: pan-iranist party |
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[Pan-Iranist (Pan-Iranian) Party] image by Tomislav Todorovic, 23 September 2020
Based on https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Pan-Iranist-Party.svg


See also:


Presentation of the organization

The Pan-Iranist (Pan-Iranian) Party (Persian: حزب پان‌ایرانیست‎, romanized: Ḥezb-e Pān-Irānist) is a small opposition political party in Iran that advocates pan-Iranism. The party is not registered and is technically banned, however it continues to operate inside Iran. It was established on September 6, 1941. The party goal is the creation of Greater Iran by annexation of neighboring areas which either had been parts of Iran in earlier times or have linguistic, religious or other cultural ties with the Iranian people. The definition of said territory may have varied somewhat in the past, but currently, it corresponds to the darker area in center of the map they have posted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/184987753405/photos/a.415304703405/10154649735168406/?type=3

It is an occasional supporter of the major nationalist party, National Front, and was nationalist and fascist with respect to its ideology. Pan-Iranist Party was an anti-communist organization and regularly battled Tudeh Party of Iran mobs in the streets of Tehran. While having been rather supportive, or at least tolerant towards authoritarianism, as was evident by their support to the Pahlavi regime, it is questionable whether they could be truthfully called Fascists. Some elements were present, like a paramilitary organization of the party, with mandatory wearing of the uniforms, although for the activists only (ordinary members were not required to do so). On the other hand, the members did not carry weapons. In addition to anti-Communism, the party policy was to co-operate only with nationalist organizations, very few of which were actually legal at the time.

Pan-Iranist Party spoke supportive of the Iranian Green Movement in 2009 and its discourse was revived in the 2010s by the conservatives who tactically adopted its positions amidst Iran–Saudi disagreements and clash. After the 1979 revolution, the party virtually ceased to exist, to be reactivated in the 1990's. After the restoration, the party renounced its paramilitary organization and declared the commitment to democracy, as well as willingness to cooperate with other opposition groups. The original uniforms are still worn sometimes, but more as a memento and by very few members.

Sources: https://fa.wikipedia.org/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Iranist_Party
Esteban Rivera, 22 September 2020


The Flag

The party's main flag is a horizontal green background, with a diagonal black stripe from top right to bottom left and in the middle, a white disk with an inequality sign in red. The inequality sign symbolizes that, in reality, there is no equality amongst nations, and that each nation must struggle to rise above all others in order to keep existing. Nowadays, they call it the "opposite sign", presenting its elaborate explanation at the party website: https://english.paniranist.org/the-emblem-and-opposite-sign-symbol-of-the-pan-iranist-party-flag.php/

The flag, as explained here: https://english.paniranist.org/the-pan-iranist-party-flag.php/ employs the national colors, with addition of a black stripe to symbolize the mourning after the disintegration of lands they intend to unify.


Pan-Iranist Guard

[Pan-Iranist Guard] image by Tomislav Todorovic, 23 September 2020
based on https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Pan-Iranist-Party_alt.svg

The other presented flag is that of the Pan-Iranist Guard, a supposed armed wing of the party which, as stated above, had existed only formally and has not been restored. Strangely, the presented image is incorrect, for it lacks the diagonal black stripe as is found in the party flag as well.

The photos of both flags which can be found online reveal a great variation regarding the flag ratio, relative sizes of all charges and the shape of inequality sign. The flag shape and hoisting also varied, for the flags were usually rectangular, but may have been triangular as well, and both shapes could have been hoisted either horizontally or vertically. Most sources display old black and white photos, which still reveal that there indeed were two distinctive flags, the difference in colors being displayed as varying shades of gray, with black and white added. The said variety seems to be reproduced by modern photos in full color.

Sources:
[1] Pan-iranist.info website - Party headquarters, Tehran, celebration of Nowruz 1394 SH (March 2015): https://www.pan-iranist.info/10275.html
[2] Paniranist.org website - Photo of party flag: https://paniranist.org/mirani88.htm
[3] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook - Photos of party flags from 2008: https://www.facebook.com/pg/
[4] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook - Photo of party flag: https://www.facebook.com/184987753405/photos/
[5] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook - Photo of party flag: https://www.facebook.com/184987753405/photos/
[6] Pan-iranist.info website - Photo of party flags: https://www.pan-iranist.info/old/index.php
[7] Paniranist.org website - Photo of the flag of Pan-Iranist Guard: https://paniranist.org/35.html
[8] Mihan-e Paydar blog - Photo of the flag of Pan-Iranist Guard: http://mihanepaydar.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_1641.html
[9] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook (alternate profile) - Photo of party flag: https://www.facebook.com/hezbpaniranist/photos
[10] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook - Pre-1979 photos: https://www.facebook.com/pg
[11] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook - Pre-1979 photos: https://www.facebook.com/pg
[12] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook - Pre-1979 photos: https://www.facebook.com/pg
[13] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook (alternate profile) - Photos 1346-1356 SH (1967-1978 CE): https://www.facebook.com/pg/hezbpaniranist/photos
[14] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook (alternate profile) - Photos 1346-1356 SH (1967-1978 CE): https://www.facebook.com/pg/hezbpaniranist/photos
[15] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook (alternate profile) - Photos 1346-1356 SH (1967-1978 CE): https://www.facebook.com/pg/hezbpaniranist/photos
[16] Iran Vaejah blog: http://iranvaejah.blogfa.com/post/45
[17] Pan-Iranist Party at Facebook (alternate profile) - Timeline photos: https://www.facebook.com/pg/hezbpaniranist/

Tomislav Todorovic, 23 September 2020