By John Irish

PARIS, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Huge protests in Iran have galvanised exiled foes of the authorities but despite their hatred of the ruling clerics, a bitter schism dating to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution still afflicts the leading opposition factions.

That split, between monarchists supporting Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah, and a more organised leftist group, the Mujahedin-e Khalq, has played out online and even in angry arguments in street protests in Europe and North America.

How far either faction has support inside Iran, or might be able to shape events there in the future, is hard to gauge, though analysts and diplomats have for decades regarded both as being far more popular among emigres than inside the country.

Many other Iranians outside Iran are also deeply sceptical of both the monarchists and MEK, but have no organised opposition network comparable to those factions.

The lack of a universally accepted opposition movement or figurehead has complicated international approaches towards the deadly unrest sweeping Iran, with U.S. President Donald Trump questioning Pahlavi's support even as he weighed air strikes.

"What's problematic is there has been no inclusive organisation that has been built that can bring together Iranians of all walks of life: religious, ethnic, socioeconomic," said Sanam Vakil, Middle East head at the Chatham House think tank in London.

SUPPORT HARD TO GAUGE

During the past two weeks of violent unrest, videos in........

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