Reza Pahlavi was only 16 years old when Iran’s 1979 revolution toppled his father’s forty-year rule. The eldest son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, he was the first in the line to inherit the oil-rich thousand-year-old empire.
Now at the age of 65, nearly half a century after the unravelling of his birthright, his wait may finally be coming to an end.
“This is the last battle. Pahlavi will return!” was one of the standout chants from nationwide protests that gripped Iran on Thursday night after the exiled former crown prince exhorted his compatriots to hit the streets.
“Javid Shah (long live the king)!” cried the protesters. “Reza Shah, God bless your soul!”
Thursday’s protests were the culmination of days of demonstrations that first began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar against economic grievances but have quickly taken on an anti-regime focus. Pahlavi, who is based in the US, has sought to position himself as a de facto leader.
Support for the deposed monarchy is taboo in Iran, a criminal offense, and a sentiment long frowned upon by a society that staged a popular uprising to overthrow the Shah’s dictatorship.
It is unclear what might be driving the renewed excitement for the royal family, and its titular head in exile, analysts say. Do Iranians genuinely support the restoration of the monarchy or are they just fed up with their repressive theocracy?
“Reza Pahlavi has indubitably increased his clout and has turned himself into a frontrunner in Iranian opposition politics,” said Arash Azizi, an academic and author of the book “What Iranians Want.”
“But he also suffers from many problems. He is a divisive figure and not a unifying one.”
Pahlavi has said he is willing to lead Iran in a transition in case protesters succeed in ousting the regime in these demonstrations, the fifth anti regime protests in nearly a decade. But he is sparse on the details of his plans and his critics say his inexperience may soon turn against him.
