Former Monarchs of Iran

Former monarchs of Iran.  Courier-Mail’s Big One crossword on Apr 29, 2017.

The answer is RASTA.

Monarchist parties and organizations are strictly prohibited by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and monarchists and their sympathizers are subject to imprisonment if discovered. However, monarchists remain active in Los Angeles and maintain links with their organizations and parties in Europe such as Azadegan, the Constitutionalist Party and Rastakhiz.

Monarchist groups such as Azadegan and Constitutionalist only advocate for the restoration of the constitutional monarchy, without necessarily endorsing the Pahlavi dynasty or any other Iranian royal dynasty. Rastakhiz and Kingdom Assembly of Iran specifically calls for the return of the House of Pahlavi to the throne.

The former Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, himself does not advocate the restoration of his dynasty, instead stating that the matter is for Iranians themselves to decide in a national referendum whether or not to restore the constitutional monarchy with the restoration of the House of Pahlavi.