Many protesters in Iran have called for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah (king) of Iran.
Pahlavi himself has encouraged people to take to the streets. But who is the former crown prince and how much support does he have?
Prepared since childhood to inherit the throne of the Iranian Palace, Reza Pahlavi was training as a fighter pilot in the United States when the 1979 revolution overthrew his father's monarchy.
He followed from afar while his father, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi — once supported by Western allies — sought refuge in other countries and later died of cancer in Egypt, reports bbc.
The sudden loss of power left the young crown prince and his family stateless, dependent on an ever-shrinking circle of monarchists and sympathizers in exile.
In the decades that followed, tragedy struck the family more than once: his younger sister and brother took their own lives, leaving Reza Pahlavi as the symbolic head of a dynasty that many thought was now history.
Now, at the age of 65, he is once again seeking a role in shaping the future of his country.
From his home in a quiet suburb near Washington, supporters describe him as a low-profile, approachable figure - a frequent visitor to local cafes, often accompanied by his wife, Yasmine, with no visible security measures.
In 2022, when a passerby asked him if he saw himself as a leader of Iran's protest movement, he and Yasmine reportedly replied in unison, "change must come from within."
However, in recent years his tone has become more decisive. After Israeli airstrikes in 2025 that killed several senior Iranian generals, Pahlavi declared at a press conference in Paris that he was ready to help lead a transitional government if the Islamic Republic were to collapse.
Since then, he has presented a 100-day plan for an interim administration, according to Telegraph reports.
Pahlavi insists that this newfound confidence stems from lessons learned during exile and from what he calls the "unfinished mission" his father left behind.
"This is not about bringing back the past. It is about ensuring a democratic future for all Iranians," he told reporters in Paris.
Pahlavi has attracted renewed attention in recent years. Chants of "Reza Shah, may your soul be blessed" - a reference to his grandfather - were heard again during anti-government protests in 2017.
The murder of Mahsa Amin while in police custody in 2022 sparked national demonstrations, returning Pahlavi to the media spotlight.
His efforts to unite Iran's fragmented opposition attracted cautious international interest but ultimately failed to sustain momentum. Opponents argue that he has yet to establish a viable organization or independent media after four decades in exile.
A controversial visit to Israel in 2023, during which Pahlavi attended a Holocaust memorial event and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, polarized opinion.
Some Iranians saw this as a pragmatic approach, while others considered it a move that could alienate Iran's Arab and Muslim allies.
After Israeli airstrikes inside Iran, he faced tough questions. In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, he was asked whether he supported attacks that endangered civilian lives.
Pahlavi stressed that ordinary Iranians were not the target and added that “anything that weakens the regime” would be welcomed by many within Iran — a statement that sparked fierce debate.
Supporters and critics
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Today, Pahlavi does not present himself as a king-in-waiting, but as a symbolic figure for national reconciliation.
He says he wants to help Iran move toward free elections, the rule of law, and equal rights for women — while leaving the final decision on whether to restore the monarchy or establish a republic to a national vote.
His supporters see him as the only opposition figure with international recognition and a long-standing commitment to peaceful change.
Critics, on the other hand, argue that he remains too dependent on foreign support and question whether Iranians at home, weary after decades of political turmoil, are ready to trust a leader in exile.
While the Iranian government presents him as a threat, it is impossible to gauge his true support without an open political space and reliable polls.
Some Iranians still respect his family name, while others fear that replacing one unelected ruler with another, even under the guise of democracy, may not bring much change.
The body of Pahlavi's father remains buried in Cairo, awaiting what monarchists hope will be a symbolic return to Iran one day.
Whether the exiled crown prince will ever see that day - or a free Iran - remains one of many unanswered questions for a country still grappling with its past. /Telegraph/
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