Son of Iran’s Ousted Shah to Work for Saudi-Funded TV Channel: Sources
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former US-backed Shah of Iran who fled the country in 1979, plans to work for an anti-Iranian satellite TV channel funded by the Saudi regime, informed sources said.
Promised a hefty payment, Reza Pahlavi will soon be part of a new program due to be broadcast by the UK-based Iran International TV, the unnamed sources were quoted as saying by Iranian media.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) has suggested producing the program with the aim of creating divisions among the Iranians, according to the sources.
The terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO or MEK), which strongly opposes Reza Pahlavi, has warned Saudis and some sponsors of the program not to produce it, threatening to disclose some secrets behind the program if it is broadcast, the reports said.
During the December 2017-January 2018 unrest in Iran, Reza Pahlavi, in an interview with Reuters, called on US President Donald Trump’s administration to encourage US technology companies to provide communication services to Iranians to protest the Islamic Republic.
In October 2018, the Guardian revealed that Iran International is funded through a secretive offshore entity and a company whose director is a Saudi Arabian businessman with close links to the MBS.
Quoting an unnamed source, the Guardian said bin Salman is the force behind the anti-Iran TV channel.
One source stated $250 million had been provided, which was estimated to cover five years of operation costs, according to the Guardian.
