Lord Glasman at a rally outside the US Embassy in London, calling for the end of the Islamic regime in Iran (Amanda Rose/Alamy)
3 min read28 July
Exclusive: Labour peer Maurice Glasman wrote and recorded a song dedicated to Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, in support of his exiled dynasty returning to power.
Pahlavi, the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was designated Crown Prince of Iran in 1967 before the monarchy was abolished during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Following the death of his father, Reza Pahlavi declared himself Shah of Iran.
Having lived in the US as a dissident in exile since the revolution, Pahlavi is a prominent critic of the Iranian government and called for the recent protests that led to a brutal crackdown.
He campaigned to step up to become the new leader of Iran, but after Ali Khameini’s assassination in US-backed Israeli strikes did not result in regime change, Khameini was succeeded by his son Mojtaba as Supreme Leader.
Pahlavi has said he would like to lead a transition in Iran to a new democratic government, declaring: “I’m not the destination, I’m a bridge to the destination.”
Lord Glasman, who told PoliticsHome he “supports the people of Iran in their uprising against the revolutionary regime”, has met Pahlavi four times on recent occasions.
The pair met for the first time earlier this year, PoliticsHome understands, when they had lunch at a restaurant in Paris. There, Glasman played Pahlavi his song via a portable speaker.
Titled “The Shah is Back”, the tribute to Pahlavi condemns Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei as “tyrants” and calls on Iranians to “believe it, the Shah is back”.
Protesters against the Islamic Republic have chanted “Pahlavi will return” and similar. Glasman’s song includes the slogan “Javid Shah” (Long live the Shah).
A jazz enthusiast, Glasman is a trumpeter and played all of the musical instruments used in the song, as well as singing it.
The Blue Labour founder brought Pahlavi into Parliament for meetings in June, last month.
Below are the lyrics of Glasman’s song and his recording.
To everyone living and everyone dead
To everyone frazzled and frightened, alone in their bed
To everyone stranded, their hearts still unpacked
Let it all go, let it flow, the Shah is back
Let it all go, let it flow, the Shah is back
To everyone slandered, to everyone sacked
To everyone frozen and fearful and under attack
To everyone longing for something they lack
Leave it, don’t grieve it, believe it, the Shah is back
Khomeini, Khameini, giants of infamy, tyrants of murdering men (Yazid!)
Khomeini, Khameini, you had it in for me, shooting us time and again
To everyone blinded and everyone tried
To everyone stuck in their bedroom with something to hide
To everyone scratching and starting to crack
Leave it, receive it, believe it, the Shah is back
He lived in your heart form the start, the Shah is back
Javid Shah! Oh, he’s coming back to heal it
Javid Shah! I know that you can feel it
Javid Shah! As it was, so it will be
Javid Shah! True nobility
Javid Shah! Javid Shah!