 During the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , to divert attention from economic difficulties in Iran and from a growing nationalist movement , a campaign of persecution against the Bahá 'ís was instituted . An approved and coordinated anti @-@ Bahá 'í campaign ( to incite public passion against the Bahá 'ís ) started in 1955 and it included the spreading of anti @-@ Bahá 'í propaganda on national radio stations and in official newspapers . In the late 1970s the Shah 's regime consistently lost legitimacy due to criticism that it was pro @-@ Western . As the anti @-@ Shah movement gained ground and support , revolutionary propaganda was spread which alleged that some of the Shah 's advisors were Bahá 'ís . Bahá 'ís were portrayed as economic threats , and as supporters of Israel and the West , and societal hostility against the Bahá 'ís increased . 
