Frood Fouladvand

Frood Fouladvand (; 26 November 1941 – 17 January 2007) was an Iranian actor, film director, playwright, screenwriter, monarchist, and founder of the group Kingdom Assembly of Iran (API). He was known for his political activism and vocal opposition to the Iranian government, as well as his prolific film career in Iran and Egypt. He and two other API members disappeared in January 2007 near Yüksekova in Turkey near the Iran–Turkey border whilst on what was described by his supporters as a mission to "liberate" Iran.

Life before politics Frood Fouladvand was born as Fathollah Manouchehri in the Lorestan Province of Iran. He belonged to the Fouladvand tribe, who are Bakhtiari Lurs. During the Imperial Era, he worked as a playwright, director, actor, screenwriter and voice dubber. He resided in the United Kingdom whilst he was politically active. According to a Section 298 (2) "Application for Forfeiture of Detained Cash" document, it was suspected that they were intending to illegally overthrow the Iranian government, by force if necessary. His supporters condemned the arrests and associated raid, claiming that police had tried to "silence" Fouladvand, and had "brutally assaulted" him and three of his supporters.

Kingdom Assembly of Iran Derafsh-e Kaviani. The Derafsh-e Kaviani was the official flag of the Aryan Empire, as well as Fouladvand's party, and he often featured it in his programmes. Kingdom Assembly of Iran or API, also "The Monarchy Assembly Iran", "Soldiers of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran" or "Iran Monarchy Committee" , is an Iranian exile monarchist opposition group which was founded Frood Fouladvand. It seeks to overthrow the Islamic Republic and restore the Iranian monarchy under a new dynasty. The group is currently banned in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has a military wing called Tondar,

One of API's more notable protests involved staging a sit-in on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to protest the Iranian regime. On 13 March 2005, fifty-nine passengers on the flight refused to disembark upon arrival in Brussels, and a 13-hour sit-in ensued. Three passengers left voluntarily, and Belgian police eventually boarded and escorted the other fifty-six passengers off.

The ultimate aim of API however was to overthrow the Iranian Theocracy and restore a monarchy under a new dynasty. Fouladvand had stated that he intended to serve as Regent until someone he deemed embodied the Farr-e Kiani was found to sit on the throne. He had even go so far as to prepare a constitution for a new Imperial Iran.

Disappearance Frood Fouladvand disappeared on 17 January 2007 along with two other API members, Alexander Valizadeh and Nazem Schmidtt. According to API they were attempting to return to Iran in order to overthrow the Iranian regime. In 2007, a Kingdom Assembly of Iran spokesman stated that Fouladvand and two companions were "missing and believed murdered by Iranian intelligence". In a newsletter on 4 June 2008, the anti-capital punishment group, Hands Off Cain, raised concerns that Fouladvand either had been, or would soon be, executed by the Iranian government. The UK ambassador to Iran had spoken to the authorities in Tehran, but had not received any information as of 18 June 2008. Whilst some API members believed that he had been abducted and subsequently executed,

API continued to operate, and would claim responsibility for the bombing of a Mosque in Shiraz in 2008.