Reza Pahlavi was just 16 years old when the 1979 Iranian revolution toppled her father’s 40-year rule. The eldest son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, he was the first in his family to inherit an oil-rich, thousand-year-old empire.
Now, almost half a century after his birthright was released, and at age 65, his wait may finally be coming to an end.
“This is the final battle. Pahlavi is coming back!” was one of the prominent chants of the nationwide protests that rocked Iran on Thursday night after the exiled former crown prince called on his compatriots to take to the streets.
“Long live the King!” protesters shouted. “God bless your soul, Reza Shah!”
Thursday’s protests were the culmination of days of demonstrations that began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic grievances but quickly turned into an anti-regime focus. Pahlavi, who is based in the United States, has sought to position himself as the de facto leader.
Support for the ousted monarchy is taboo and a crime in Iran, a sentiment long frowned upon in a society that launched a popular uprising to overthrow the Shah’s dictatorship.
Analysts said it was unclear what was stirring up the royal family and its nominal heads in exile again. Do Iranians wholeheartedly support a restoration of the monarchy, or are they simply fed up with the oppressive theocracy?
“Reza Pahlavi has definitely gained influence and become the front-runner in Iranian opposition politics,” said Arash Azizi, an academic and author of “What Iranians Want.”
“But he also suffers from a number of problems. He is a divisive figure, not a uniting figure.”
For decades, the Islamic Republic has imprisoned its critics, including former presidents, and neutralized domestic opposition. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, limits the power of elected officials, sees himself as the guardian of the regime, and stamps out challenges to his rule.
This has empowered an external opposition to grow from within Iran’s large diaspora, plucking figures like Pahlavi out of relative obscurity. Pahlavi first came into the spotlight in 2020 after Iran accidentally shot down a passenger plane as it took off from Tehran to Ukraine. The incident galvanized outside opposition, prompting them to rally to a council of which Pahlavi is a key member.
Disagreements among a motley crew of Iranian dissidents led to the council’s early collapse. But Pahlavi endured as the most well-known face of the opposition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been the most high-profile supporter. The alliance has polarized Iranians (Israeli attacks hit parts of Iran last June during a 12-day war between the two countries).
US President Donald Trump’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro may also have galvanized opposition forces hoping for a swift decapitation of the regime. Video on social media showed protesters renaming the street “Trump Street.”
But analysts say those hopes may have been misplaced. Azizi said President Trump is “considering his options and is not going to give confidence to anyone before he proves he can win.”
“Pahlavi personally does not have the qualities that would appeal to Trump. He is more of a bookworm and lacks the personal charisma that would appeal to someone like Trump,” Azizi said. “It will be difficult for him to beat Trump.”
Mr. Pahlavi has not been keen to join the fray. He said he was ready to lead Iran’s transition should protesters succeed in overthrowing the regime in the fifth anti-regime demonstration in nearly a decade. But he has given few details about his plans, and his critics say his lack of experience could quickly lead to a backlash.
“He’s talking about being an interim leader and having an interim parliament, but who will be in the interim government, who will run for parliament, who are the candidates,” said Vali Nasr, an Iran expert and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
“It’s another thing to look at the crowd and say it would be great if Iran went back to the days of the Shah, but in terms of practical mechanics, how would he do it?”
Analysts say the rally around Mr. Pahlavi is the surest sign that the Islamic Republic of Iran is at an impasse. The country’s economy has been battered by years of corruption and sanctions, and despite the efforts of many reformist governments, it has struggled to emerge from pariah status. Young people are frustrated by conservative rule and the suppression of political freedoms. And if the administration attempts to violently suppress the riots, as it has done in the past, it risks incurring the wrath of President Trump.
“Iranians chose him (Pahlavi) not because he is present in the community, but because they are depressed,” Nasr said.
Pahlavi taps into nostalgia for the pre-Islamic republic era. “Many older Iranians remember the day I was born and how excited the people were,” he told The Wall Street Journal this week. “But now that I’m 65 years old…young Iranians call me dad. That’s the best thing.”
