While Iran has grappled with widespread deadly protests for the past two weeks, Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s ousted shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has once again emerged as an anti-government figurehead.

The protests began on December 28 in response to soaring prices, before turning against the authorities in Iran, who have governed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. However, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed defiance and blamed the United States.

Pahlavi has urged Iranian government workers and security forces to join the swelling protest movement. He has also hinted at his plans to return to Iran at a time that he believed was “very near”.

He has even requested US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to get involved if force is used on protesters, to “be ready to intervene to help the people of Iran”.

So what links does Pahlavi have to Iran’s history, and what are the stakes for him in establishing a role in the ongoing crisis?

Born in Tehran on Oct 31, 1960, as the heir to the late Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza and Empress Farah Pahlavi, Reza Pahlavi was officially named crown prince at the age of seven.

He has lived in exile since his father was ousted by the 1979 revolution, a year before he died.

As per his website, Pahlavi left Iran for jet fighter training in the United States Air Force in 1978. “During this same period, the building unrest in Iran led to the royal family’s departure in January 1979,” his website says about his father’s ouster.

Pahlavi completed his higher education with a degree in political science from the University of Southern California. He volunteered to serve Iran’s military as a fighter pilot during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, but was declined by the Islamic regime.

Pahlavi married Yasmine Etemad-Amini on June 12, 1986. They have three daughters (all of whom he has named as his heirs successively): Noor Pahlavi (born April 3, 1992), Iman Pahlavi (born Sept 12, 1993), and Farah Pahlavi (born Jan 17, 2004).

The late shah’s heir has also authored three books: Gozashteh va Ayandeh (Kayhan Publishing, 2000); Winds of Change: The Future of Democracy in Iran (Regnery, 2002); and Iran: L’Heure du Choix [Iran: The Deciding Hour] (Denoël, 2009).

Ties outside Iran

Pahlavi’s website highlights that he remains in touch with “opposition groups, both inside and outside” Iran, and advocates for the establishment of a secular democracy in the country.

“He calls for regime change through non-violent civil disobedience, and for a free and open referendum on a new government of Iran,” the website reads.

While Iran and Israel are arch-enemies under the current regime, they both enjoyed warmer ties under Pahlavi’s father.

In October last year, Israeli-funded online campaigns in the Persian language used fake social media personas and AI to boost Pahlavi’s image and destabilise the Iranian regime, parallel investigations by Israeli newspapers and the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab found.

During the 12-day Iran-Israel war last year, Pahlavi urged Khamenei to step down “for the sake of the Iranian people”.

In a similar fashion, during the ongoing protests, the late shah’s son called for replacing the flags outside of Iranian embassies with the pre-Islamic revolution flag, which protesters briefly succeeded in doing so in London.