US-Iran war live updates: Who is Reza Pahlavi? Exiled crown prince positioning himself as face of post-regime Iran
According to Reuters, Pahlavi has been campaigning in the US and Europe for years, advocating a democratic transition in Iran. Shortly after the war began in February, he declared on X: “The Iranian people have called on me to lead the transition after the regime is gone. I have accepted that responsibility.”
The 64-year-old is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s last monarch, who was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Reza Pahlavi has lived in exile for nearly five decades, largely in the US, and has never returned to Iran since leaving the country as a teenager.
Do Iranians want him back?
There is no direct answer to this.
While some Iranians—particularly in the diaspora—see him as a unifying figure, others oppose any return to monarchy. Pahlavi has repeatedly said he is not seeking to restore the monarchy, but instead wants to help oversee a transition to a secular, democratic government before stepping aside.
“I’m not the destination, I’m a bridge to the destination,” Pahlavi said of his role during an interview with Reuters.
