At protests and diaspora rallies calling for change in Iran, one figure appears again and again on posters and banners: Reza Pahlavi. Supporters sometimes refer to him as “King Reza,” but he does not actually claim the throne.
Pahlavi is the son of Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Before the revolution, Iran was a secular state aligned with the West and maintained quiet strategic relations with Israel. That relationship ended when the monarchy collapsed, and the new Islamic regime built its ideology around hostility toward Israel and the United States.
Reza Pahlavi has lived in exile since the revolution and has become one of the most visible figures in Iran’s opposition movement, particularly among the global Iranian diaspora.
Despite the royal symbolism often used by his supporters, Pahlavi says he does not seek to restore the monarchy by force. Instead, he advocates for a democratic transition away from the Islamic Republic, arguing that Iranians themselves should decide their country’s future political system.
He has also called for rebuilding ties between Iran and Israel. During a historic 2023 visit to Israel, Pahlavi emphasized that the regime’s hostility does not reflect the views of many Iranians.
Whether he ultimately plays a role in Iran’s future remains uncertain. But as opposition to the regime grows, his name continues to surface in conversations about what a post-Islamic Republic Iran might look like.
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