Wahid Azal (birth name: Nima Sadra Hazini) could be instrumental in creating ideological support for the Pahlavi restoration. His Fatimiyya Sufi Order combines Baha’i and Babi spirituality with Twelver Shi’a. Others have proposed the nascent Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) as the alternative religious institution in a regime change scenario, but it is our belief the Fatimiyya would be the more suitable choice. Abdullah Hashem has proven far less tractable in our interactions with him than Azal. We already have assets within Azal’s organization that have been providing us with intelligence, wittingly or otherwise.

Online Azal cultivates a far left persona, criticizing the actions of the United States, Israel, and Western governments more generally, but privately his loyalties still lie with the Iranian elite society into which he was born. He has an irrepressible vitriol for the Baha’i which could certainly play a useful part in clearing the table. His advocacy for “entheogens” (intoxicants used in a religious context) may also prove useful in attracting the interest of domestic and the international cultural reformist elements. Another intriguing aspect of his character is that he himself is constantly running influence campaigns among other Islamic groups, attempting either infiltration, or failing that resorts to a flurry of polemics (AROPL being one such case; see: his pamphlet “Wake Up!”). Azal’s destabilizing and unpredictable nature is bound to create exactly the kind of effect we are looking for.

It is our recommendation to continue cultivating ties within Azal’s following, and to begin floating the idea that if he relocate from Australia to Iran in a regime change scenario, he will be welcomed with open arms. Continue to monitor his communications, but also seek to create on-the-ground contacts that can pass on reports about Azal’s offline life.