Iranian opposition delegation visits Israel to promote ‘Iranian Zionism’

A delegation of Iranian opposition figures from the United States and Europe visited Israel this week for a series of meetings aimed at strengthening ties between Israelis and Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic.

The delegation included Iranian business and community leaders, journalists, activists and representatives of the Iranian Christian community. During an event in Tel Aviv, participants discussed what organizers describe as “Iranian Zionism” — the idea that Iran’s opposition can draw lessons from the movement that helped establish the modern State of Israel.

The gathering was organized in cooperation with the Abrahamic Movement, the Jerusalem Interfaith Center, the Cyrus Fund and Project Aftab. Members of the delegation spoke to i24NEWS about the broader message behind their visit and their vision for future Israeli-Iranian relations.

“There is a secretive alliance between Israelis and Iranians. It’s not always on the table, but we share the same past,” said Tom Wegner, CEO of the Abrahamic Movement and co-founder of the Cyrus Fund.

Wegner pointed to Cyrus the Great, the ancient Persian king remembered for allowing the Jewish people exiled in Babylon to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.

“Cyrus the Great, the father of the Iranian nation, is also the first Zionist and the liberator of the Jewish people,” he said. “The legacy of Cyrus, the narrative and the values — we share them.”

Iran and Israel maintained close relations before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Under the Islamic Republic, however, Tehran has made hostility toward Israel a central part of its foreign policy while supporting terror groups across the region that have carried out attacks against the Jewish state.

The delegation sought to draw a distinction between the Iranian government and the Iranian people, arguing that both ordinary Iranians and Israelis have suffered because of the same regime.

“The radical regime that is killing Iranians is also killing Israelis,” Wegner said. “It is oppressing the Iranian people, and it is building a ring of terror around Israel.”

He said the group wanted to convey a message that “the children of Israel and the children of Cyrus are united, and they stand together against injustice.”

What is ‘Iranian Zionism’?

Shachar Tal, CEO of the Cyrus Fund, described Iranian Zionism as an attempt to adapt elements of the Jewish national movement to the struggle against the Islamic Republic.

“We recognized a willingness within the Iranian people to do something very similar to what we did 100 or 150 years ago — which is to adopt Zionism as a practice,” Tal told i24NEWS.

He said the objective was not to replicate Jewish Zionism literally, but to study how the movement established institutions, brought together a scattered diaspora and prepared the foundations for a future state before Israel declared independence in 1948.

“The idea is really to copy what we have achieved successfully with Zionism and adapt it to the Iranian situation,” he said. “They need to get their country back.”

Iranian-American investor and advisor Ameen Soleimani was visiting Israel for the fifth time. He said the delegation hoped to find Israeli partners who share its vision of cooperation between the two peoples.

Soleimani argued that most Iranians do not regard Israel as their enemy, despite more than four decades of anti-Israel messaging from the Islamic Republic.

“If you look at Iranian protests in the diaspora, basically all of the major opposition protests have Israeli flags in addition to the flag of the host country,” he said.

He also pointed to the 2023 visit to Israel by Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who visited the Western Wall and met senior Israeli officials.

“He broke a taboo when he did that because a lot of people think Iranians don’t like Israel and that we don’t get along,” Soleimani said. “He did that to show that he and the Iranians who support him don’t think Israel is our enemy.”

Soleimani estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of Iranians genuinely support the Iranian regime, though reliable polling inside the country is extremely difficult because of state repression and restrictions on independent research.

Iranian activist Lily Moo said the delegation hoped to build “a positive civilian bridge” between Israelis and Iranians.

“We are a collective of Iranians from across the diaspora,” she said. “We are hoping to use the successful Zionist blueprint of building a country.”

Lily Moo described Iran as an ancient nation whose people are being “held hostage” by the current regime. She said Israel’s experience could provide valuable lessons for Iranians seeking to establish a democratic political system if the Islamic Republic eventually falls.

“This 2,500-year-old bond is not broken. It is not severed — it is just under strain,” she said.

“As soon as the oppressive regime of the ayatollah falls, the fruitful friendship of the Iranian people and the Israelis will be witnessed by the world.”

For those behind the gathering, the visit was intended to challenge the image of Israel and Iran as permanent enemies — and to present their current confrontation as a conflict between Israel and the Islamic Republic rather than between the Israeli and Iranian peoples.

Organizers believe the shared history invoked through Cyrus the Great can serve as a foundation for rebuilding ties after decades of hostility.

“We want this connection to become a beacon for the world,” Wegner said, “for Jews and for Iranians to say that we can — and should — do things together.”