How did the shah’s ties with Israel fuel dissident rhetoric in Iran?

During the 1970s, the shah’s close ties with Israel served as a significant catalyst for anti-regime sentiment in Iran. At that time, Israel was engaged in extended hostilities with various Arab states, and the shah’s alignment with Israel was leveraged by dissidents to portray his government as subservient to foreign powers.123

This perception of foreign subservience, combined with the shah’s dependence on the United States and his regime’s economic policies, fueled the potency of dissident rhetoric among the masses. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, while in exile, frequently utilized these themes in his speeches, accusing the Pahlavi regime of irreligion and a lack of national sovereignty. These messages, disseminated through smuggled tapes and print, resonated deeply with Iranians who felt alienated by the rapid Westernization and cultural shifts occurring under the shah’s rule.123