Iranian Activist's Murder in Canada Reveals Deep Diaspora Rifts Over War
The killing of an Iranian activist in Canada has exposed increasingly bitter divisions within the diaspora community over the ongoing war with Iran and the campaign to install the son of the former shah as the country's next leader. The case has heightened tensions and sparked a climate of fear among dissidents abroad.
Mathematician's Disappearance and Murder Charges
Masood Masjoody, an Iranian-born mathematician and activist with a history of making accusations against adversaries, disappeared in early February after claiming on social media that two fellow Iran-born activists were plotting to kill him. By mid-March, police in British Columbia had found his body and brought first-degree murder charges against the very pair Masjoody had identified as threats.
The news sent shockwaves through Iranian communities outside Iran, particularly among those who oppose both the current government and the monarchist movement led by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi. Days after Masjoody's disappearance, ten other outspoken diaspora figures received an ominous threat on social media platform X.
Threats and Intimidation Campaign
The threatening post, written in Farsi and topped by a knife emoji, came from an account named for the SAVAK, the feared secret police once used by the monarchy to suppress dissent. The message warned recipients: "Soon you'll have to find the corpses of many."
Recipients of this threat and others blame the influential monarchist movement led by Pahlavi, who supports the war launched by the United States and Israel. The two individuals charged with Masjoody's murder had opposed the Iranian government and expressed support for the monarchist movement in their online posts.
Supporters of Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, deny responsibility for such threats and instead accuse Iranian government agents of posing as activists online to discredit opposition movements.
Climate of Fear Among Activists
Anti-war activists and those opposing Pahlavi describe a growing climate of fear that has forced many to notify police and alter their daily routines. Nik Kowsar, one of those tagged in the threatening post, said he had long received negative messages on social media but found this particular threat chilling.
"But this one gave me chills," said Kowsar, who was jailed in Iran in 2000 over a cartoon satirizing a leading cleric and now lives in Washington, D.C. Once an unpaid adviser to Pahlavi, he has become an outspoken critic, accusing monarchists of seeking to replace one form of authoritarian rule with another.
Similar threats have since been made against other Iranian activists, with many reporting them to authorities and taking additional security precautions.
Monarchist Movement's Rising Profile
Reza Pahlavi's profile has risen significantly, though his actual popularity remains difficult to gauge both inside and outside Iran. His call for protests in January brought hundreds of thousands into the streets in the largest demonstrations in years, prompting a fierce government crackdown that killed thousands and detained tens of thousands.
Pahlavi, who lives in Maryland, says he is ready to assume power and lead a democratic transition once the theocracy is overthrown. However, this scenario appears increasingly unlikely as Iran has weathered weeks of attacks and now faces a naval blockade, with no sign of a popular uprising since the war began.
Increasing Polarization
The diaspora has grown increasingly polarized as the monarchist movement becomes more "radicalized, more entrenched and more coordinated," according to Sahar Razavi, director of the Iranian and Middle East Studies Center at California State University, Sacramento.
"They demand unity of voice and purity of politics and anyone who falls short of that is not just their rival but their enemy that has to be vanquished," said Razavi, whose center added security at events after she was harassed for hosting a journalist some accused of being allied with Iran's government.
Movement's Response
A spokesman for the National Union for Democracy in Iran, which is closely aligned with Pahlavi, said the exiled prince had "consistently called for civility in public discourse" and that the movement is not responsible for hostility toward opponents.
"The prince has, by any estimate, millions of followers. He cannot be reasonably held responsible for the comments of all of them," said the group's policy director, Andrew Ghalili. "Second, the Islamic Republic has a history of posing as opposition supporters online to discredit them."
Activists Take Precautions
Two other activists tagged in the X post said they had reported it to police and altered their routines to stay safe. Alireza Nader, a security analyst in Washington, D.C., admitted: "With the latest threat after that Canadian Iranian activist disappeared, I'll be honest with you, I freaked out."
Nader, who once backed Pahlavi but is now a vocal critic, said he now avoids protests and other public events. Other diaspora activists report similar experiences with threatening communications.
Unclear Origins of Threats
The National Iranian American Council, which advocates for U.S. diplomacy with Iran, has also seen a rise in threats. In January, staffers received an email warning they would be "responsible for all loss of lives" if they proceeded with an anti-war forum in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
With Iran, Israel, the U.S. and various opposition groups eager to advance narratives about the war and diaspora politics, it's not always clear if online accounts are who they claim to be.
"I have to believe that a lot of the things that we see online are not created by authentic users. But that's not very comforting when we see people we know in real life sharing or repeating them," said Amy Malek, a William & Mary professor whose research focuses on the Iranian diaspora.
Canadian Case Sparks Deeper Fears
Kowsar revealed that days before Masjoody went missing, they discussed a harassment suit the latter was pursuing against Pahlavi supporters. Masjoody had filed more than half a dozen lawsuits since 2014, with a Canadian judge last year labeling him a "vexatious litigant."
Another recipient of the threatening message on X, Kambiz Ghafouri, said he had long been wary of retaliation by Iran's government, even after living in Finland for 20 years. Threats that appear to come from within the diaspora have deepened those fears.
"Our lives were like hell every day in Iran," he said. "But recently, especially after the death of Masood, who was my friend, we feel unsafe here."
