Among the slogans chanted by protesters across Iran over the past two weeks have been many calling for the return of the monarchy to the country.
“This is the last battle. Pahlavi will return,” protesters shouted in a video reviewed by CNN. “Javid Shah (long live the king)! they cried. “Reza Shah, God bless your soul!”
The man they were referring to, Reza Pahlavi, is the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, the Persian word for king.
Based in the United States, he has sought to position himself as a de facto leader, declaring support for the protests and making direct calls for coordinated action nationally.
Pahlavi’s father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was ousted in the 1979 Iranian revolution. Pahlavi was 16 years old at the time.
In the years that followed, support for the deposed monarchy became taboo in Iran. Analysts say it is unclear what could be driving the renewed enthusiasm for the Iranian royal family.
Arash Azizi, an academic and author of the book “What the Iranians Want,” told CNN that while Pahlavi “has become a leader in Iranian opposition politics,” he is also “a divisive, not unifying, figure.”
Analysts say the rally around Pahlavi is the surest sign that the Islamic Republic of Iran appears to be in an impasse.
“The Iranians are not opting for (Pahlavi) because he is present in the community but because they are discouraged,” said Vali Nasr, an expert on Iran and professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Watch more about Pahlavi below and read more about him in our full profile here.
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Nearly 50 years after the Iranian Revolution, the son of the deposed Shah of Iran is once again attracting attention as protests spread. CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh explains the significance.
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Who is Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah of Iran?
Nearly 50 years after the Iranian Revolution, the son of the deposed Shah of Iran is once again attracting attention as protests spread. CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh explains the significance.
