Name: Iran protests: Who is Reza Pahlavi?
Uploaded: 2026-01-13T14:57:51.796Z
Duration: 3 min 33 s
Description: The son of the last shah has become a prominent voice in the current anti-government protests sweeping across Iran, despite having lived outside the country for 50 years. For The National, CBC’s Ashley Fraser breaks down Reza Pahlavi’s role and why the exiled crown prince remains a divisive figure.

The son of the last shah has become a prominent voice in the current anti-government protests sweeping across Iran, despite having lived outside the country for 50 years. For The National, CBC’s Ashley Fraser breaks down Reza Pahlavi’s role and why the exiled crown prince remains a divisive figure.

Tehran

Anti-government protesters in Iran have been chanting for the return of the monarchy, referencing Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last Shah. Pahlavi, who has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has publicly expressed readiness to lead a transition to democracy, using social media and international platforms to communicate his intentions.

Experts note that Pahlavi remains a polarizing figure due to his family's controversial legacy and questions about his political consistency. While some Iranians, particularly older generations, view the Pahlavi era with nostalgia, others doubt the viability of restoring the monarchy or Pahlavi's democratic credentials. Despite these divisions, a lack of clear alternatives has brought renewed attention to his role amid ongoing unrest.

Iran protests: Who is Reza Pahlavi?

Anti-regime protesters are chanting Pahlavi will return, calling for the return of Iran's monarchy. Reza Pahlavi is the eldest son of Iran's last Shah, and he's been in exile for nearly 50 years, after his father and Iran's monarchy was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Nassim Narizi studies resistance movements. Pahlavi has this romanticized, sentimentalized notion of there was this past that we really liked and we need to go to that. So what role is Reza Pahlavi playing in these protests? Well, for years, Pahlavi has called for change in the country. He's done this particularly in times of unrest, like the 2022 protests over the death of Massa Amini, who died in the custody of Iran's morality police after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. But this time, he's sent out messages over social media, and he's told Iranians that he is ready to lead a transition. In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, he wrote, and I quote, I have therefore stepped forward to lead and serve in that capacity, not as a ruler in waiting but as the steward of a national transition to democracy. But it's not as simple as that. It's hard to gauge exactly how much support Pahlavi has. And as Maral Karimi says, he's widely seen as a divisive figure. You have to understand his legacy. He's coming, his father and his grandfather both established a very brutal reign. Many people who are alive and well today remember those times. Many people don't think that going back to a monarchy is viable in 2026. But according to Iranian security and defence expert Farzad Nadimi, some supporters view his family's legacy in a more positive light. Both Prince Farzad Pahlavi's father and grandfather initiated and continued the westernization of Iranians. Very traditional Iranian societies, they built up infrastructure, they built up universities. So there are a lot of supporters within the older generations of Iranians who remember, who have nostalgic feelings of that era. And for young people in support of Pahlavi, Nadimi says he represents a high-profile alternative to the current regime. He has the character and he has the international character to be an envoy of change in Iran. But many worry his beliefs are not suitable to lead the country. Many fear that his attitude and those around him and his supporters are not truly democratic. He has flip-flopped oftentimes on his political position. He has even gone as far as supporting and encouraging attacks on Iranian soil. Nirizi believes that he is far from an ideal candidate, but the lack of alternatives means he's garnering a lot of attention. I think at the end of the day, it comes back to saying, all right, what is the thing that I can lean on these days that is, you know, clean and looks far beyond, far different from the current establishment that is on the ground? So I see a lot of psychological factors in this as well.

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