Frood Fouladvand (Persian: فرود فولادوند; born 26 November, 1941) was a Turkic Iranian actor, film director, playwright, screenwriter, voice dubber, monarchist, and founder of the group Kingdom Assembly of Iran^[1]. He was known for his attempt to overthrow the Iranian government^[2], as well as his prolific film career in Iran and Egypt^[3].

Life Before Politics

Frood Fouladvand was born as Fathollah Manouchehri in the Lorestan Province of Iran. He belonged to the renowned Fouladvand tribe of the Bakhtiari Lurs who are of Turkic origin, and a branch of the Qashqais^[4][5]. During the Imperial Era, he was a prolific playwright, director, actor, screenwriter and voice dubber. Fouladvand enjoyed much domestic success in his roles, and was one of the important figures in the film dubbing industry. It is important to note that Fouladvand did all of his artistic work under his birth name, Fathollah Manouchehri.

On the advent of the Iranian Revolution, Fouladvand would leave Iran, going to Turkey, Egypt, Germany, and finally the United Kingdom. He would adopt the name Frood, as it was more Iranian-sounding than Fathollah, which means "The Victory of Allah" in Arabic.

Political Activities

Fouladvand was an advocate for the overthrow of the Iranian Government and a restoration of Monarchy in Iran^[6]. Ideologically, he was a proponent of secularism and was known for being a very harsh critic of Islam, viewing it as an anti-Iranian religion^[7]. Despite being stubbornly opposed to the Theocracy in Iran, he also ran into unexplained problems with British Authorities, which was exemplified by an MI5 raid of his residence^[8]. Fouladvand was probably the first person to publicly critique Islam in as harsh a manner as he did in a millennium, which may have contributed to changing attitudes towards Islam in Iran. It is estimated as of January 2021 that only around 40% of Iranians identify as Muslims^[9], and this level of mass apostasy can be attributed in part to the message he spread on his television programme. Fouladvand is also the father of the movement known today as the Iranian Cultural Renaissance, as his model for a future Iran was based on pre-Islamic ideals as well as a total rejection of foreign Arab cultural influences.

Tondar, Azarakhsh and the Kingdom Assembly of Iran

Fouladvand was the founder of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, known alternatively as the Anjoman. The mission of the Anjoman was to overthrow the Iranian government and restore a Monarchy in Iran.

Tondar was the name of a series of operations meant to garner attention and support for Fouladvand's attempt to overthrow the Iranian government and restore a Monarchist State in Iran. Some examples of the Tondar operations are:

1. Congesting the streets outside the Headquarters of the European Commission by chaining cars together.^[10]
2. Congesting the streets outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague by staging a fake wedding.^[11]
3. Mounting the Derafsh-e Kaviani on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.^[12]
4. Bombing the Sivand Dam in 2005, thereby forcing a redesign of the Sivand Dam project, saving the Tomb of Cyrus from being destroyed. No casualties were reported.^[13]
5. Staging a sit-in on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to protest the Iranian regime.^[14]

A pattern found in Fouladvand's acts of protests is that they were largely non-violent, in stark contrast to the more violent tendencies of the Anjoman after his capture. Tondar was a fundamentally peaceful set of public protests. This was to be followed by Operation Azarakhsh, which was the operation to overthrow the Iranian Theocracy and restore a monarchy under a new dynasty. Fouladvand intended to serve as Regent until someone he deemed embodied the Farr-e Kiani was found to sit on the throne. He had prepared a constitution for a new Imperial Iran^[15][16]. Fouladvand was ultimately captured in his attempt to overthrow the Iranian government. His fate is unknown, but he is presumed dead.

Disappearance

Frood Fouladvand disappeared on the 17th of January, 2007 along with his two companions, codenamed "Kourosh Lor" and "Simorgh". Kourosh Lor was named for Cyrus the Great and the Luri People, while Simorgh was named for the mythical bird, Simurgh. Fouladvand and his companions were attempting to return to Iran in order to overthrow the Iranian Regime^[17]. Fears were expressed by Human Rights organisations that Fouladvand and his companions were "at risk of torture or other ill-treatment, and may even be sentenced to death"^[18], however it seems that the Iranian government has remained deliberately vague, not saying much in public about Fouladvand's whereabouts or those of his companions^[19]. In 2007, a Kingdom Assembly of Iran spokesman stated that Fouladvand and two companions were "missing and believed murdered by Iranian intelligence".^[20]. Fouladvand was captured, likely by agents of the Iranian Intelligence Services in Turkey^[21]. Nothing has been heard of Fouladvand since his capture.

After his disappearance, his organisation, the Anjoman, began to weaken and resort to acts of terrorism. An example of this is the bombing of a Mosque in Shiraz in 2008^[22].

See also

• List of people who disappeared
• Iranian Monarchism
• Iranian Nationalism
• Criticism of Islam
• Kingdom Assembly of Iran

References