Robert Ward: Britain must recognise Iran's democratic opposition

Robert Ward: Britain must recognise Iran's democratic opposition

Cllr Robert Ward represents Selsdon and Addington Village Ward on Croydon Council. In the late 1970s, as an occasional visitor to Shiraz, it was clear to me that the Shah was very much in command – a command maintained by the quiet menace of the Savak, his secret police. The mandatory portrait of the Shah in every meeting room bore more resemblance to Orwell than to that of Her Majesty back home. Rather than a polite nod to tradition, in Iran, i…