Jump to content

Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with his grandfather Reza Shah.

Reza Pahlavi
Crown Prince of Iran
Pahlavi in 2023
Head of the House of Pahlavi
Tenure31 October 1980[1] – present
PredecessorFarah Diba (as regent in pretence)[1]
Born (1960-10-31) 31 October 1960 (age 64)
Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1986)​
IssueNoor Pahlavi
Iman Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi
FatherMohammad Reza Pahlavi
MotherFarah Diba
Party
Alma mater
Website
SignatureReza Pahlavi's signature
Styles of
Reza Pahlavi
Reference styleHis Imperial Highness
Spoken styleYour Imperial Highness

Reza Pahlavi (Persian: رضا پهلوی; born 31 October 1960) is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and his wife Farah Diba. Before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he was the crown prince and the last heir apparent to the throne of the Imperial State of Iran. Pahlavi resides in Great Falls, Virginia.

Pahlavi is the founder and leader of the self-styled National Council of Iran, an exiled opposition group,[3] participates in the Iranian democracy movement, and is a prominent critic of Iran's Islamic Republic government.

Early life and education

Pahlavi in 1973

Reza Pahlavi was born in Tehran as the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran and Farah Pahlavi, the Shahbanu of Iran. Pahlavi's siblings include his sister Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi (born 1963), brother Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi (1966–2011), and sister Princess Leila Pahlavi (1970–2001), as well as a half-sister, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi (born 1940).

When he was born, the Shah pardoned 98 political prisoners, and the government declared a 20% reduction in income tax.[4] He studied at the eponymous "Reza Pahlavi School", a private school located in the royal palace and restricted to the imperial family and court associates.[5] He was trained as a pilot; his first solo flight was at the age of 11, and he obtained his license a year later.[6] He was a supporter of Taj Abadan football club.[7]

As a cadet of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, he was sent to the United States in August 1978 to continue his pilot training. He was one of 43 cadet pilots in the one-year pilot training program at the former Reese Air Force Base, TX, which included flying the Cessna T-37 Tweet and Northrop T-38 Talon. As a result of the Iranian Revolution, he left the base in March 1979, about four months earlier than planned.[6][8]

Pahlavi began studies at Williams College in September 1979,[9] but dropped out in 1980.[10] He then enrolled at The American University in Cairo as a political science student, but his attendance was irregular.[11] In 1981, it was reported that he had dropped out of the program and continued his studies privately with Iranian professors, with a focus on Persian culture and history, Islamic philosophy, and oil in Iran.[12]

Pahlavi obtained a BSc degree in political science by correspondence from the University of Southern California in 1985. He is fluent in English and French in addition to his native Persian.[9]

Political activities in exile

Reza Pahlavi's swearing in as the new king of Iran on 31 October 1980 at Koubbeh Palace, Cairo

Reza Pahlavi came to Cairo, Egypt, in March 1980 with his family.[1] When his father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was ill and in the last weeks of his life, media reported that some monarchist elements had advised the Shah to oust Reza in favor of his younger son Ali Reza (who was 13 at the time) and a regency council, suggesting that Reza's background, training and interest in public affairs were too limited to become his successor. The Shah was understood to have rejected the idea and abdicated himself in favor of one of his two sons.[13] When the Shah died on 27 July 1980, Farah Pahlavi proclaimed herself as the regent, a title in pretense.[1] On his 20th birthday on 31 October, Reza Pahlavi declared himself to be the new king of Iran, Reza Shah II, and the rightful successor to the throne of Pahlavi dynasty.[14] Immediately afterward a spokesman for the United States Department of State, John Trattner, disassociated the U.S. government from Reza Pahlavi by stating that his government did not intend to support him, assuring that they recognized the Iranian government.[15]

During 1981, Pahlavi remained in the Koubbeh Palace and developed close ties to pro-monarchy groups while facing rejection from other opposition groups, including left-wing dissidents.[12] In March, he issued a statement for the Persian New Year. He urged all opponents of the Iranian government to unite behind him and wage a "national resistance". Still, he chose to remain silent and made no reaction when President Abolhassan Banisadr was deposed, and the assassination of tens of officials including Chief Justice Mohammad Beheshti took place in June.[12] In August, Pahlavi announced that he had been secretly planning to overthrow the Iranian government, stating, "So far I have been unwilling to unveil the existence of the concerted plans for I do not wish to jeopardize the lives of some of our best children... many of our actions have been unknown to you, but I want to assure you that the necessary steps are being taken in the best orderly way to save Iran".[16]

In 1982, Yaakov Nimrodi told BBC in a radio interview that along with Adolph Schwimmer and Adnan Khashoggi, he was involved with Pahlavi and Gen. Said Razvani to scheme a coup d'état and install him in Iran.[17] According to Samuel Segev, the plan had the approval of both the CIA and the Israeli cabinet, but it was abandoned when Menachem Begin resigned in 1983 and the new leadership "thought Israel should not be involved in a new adventure".[17]

On 1 May 1986, Pahlavi disclosed that he had recently formed a government-in-exile to establish a constitutional monarchy again in Iran.[18]

On his website, Pahlavi has said that the state of Iran should become democratic and secular, and human rights should be respected. Whether the form of government would be that of a constitutional monarchy or a republic, he would like to leave up to the people of Iran.[19][20]

Pahlavi has used his high profile as an Iranian abroad to campaign for human rights, democracy, and unity among Iranians in and outside Iran.[21] On his website, he calls for a separation of religion and state in Iran and free and fair elections "for all freedom-loving individuals and political ideologies". He exhorts all groups dedicated to a democratic agenda to work together for a democratic and secular Iranian government.[22]

In February 2011, after violence erupted in Tehran, Pahlavi said that Iran's youth were determined to get rid of an authoritarian government tainted by corruption and misrule in the hope of installing a democracy. "Fundamental and necessary change is long overdue for our region, and we have a whole generation of young Egyptians and Iranians not willing to take no for an answer", he told The Daily Telegraph. "Democratization is now imperative that cannot be denied. It is only a matter of time before the whole region can transform itself."[23]

In June 2018, he commented: "I believe Iran must be a secular, parliamentary democracy. The final form has to be decided by the people."[24] In a presentation at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in December 2018, Pahlavi called for the non-military support of those in Iran who were trying to replace the Islamist regime with a secular democracy. According to a news report, he was "not openly calling for the restoration of the Peacock Throne ... He casts himself more as a symbol than a politician, but has called himself 'ready to serve my country'".[25]

During anti-government demonstrations in Iran in 2022 following the Abadan building collapse, Pahlavi predicted that the Islamic regime would collapse in the near future as events such as the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, bans on importing foreign COVID-19 vaccines and tests into the country and rising food prices had led to unnecessary deaths and would provoke further anger at government mismanagement from the population. He also urged members of the Iranian armed forces who oppose the Islamic Republic but work for the government to engage in peaceful disruption and called for a coordinated front against the regime. While acknowledging support from Iranian demonstrators chanting for the return of the monarchy, he also stated, "The most important thing I do in response to the Iranian people's trust is to reinforce their voices. I don't tell them what to do. I'm not a political leader."[26]

In a February 2023 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Pahlavi called on the British and European governments to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arguing such a move would be "pulling out the biggest tooth the regime has." In the interview, he also argued his belief that the Islamic Republic was more likely to fall in the near future than it had been in previous decades as Iranian reformists had switched tactics to wanting to completely overthrow the regime as opposed to changing it. He acknowledged many Iranian dissidents wanted him to play a central role in creating a new government but reiterated that he would leave it to the people of Iran on whether to restore the throne and that he would not run for political office if the regime fell. Pahlavi also predicted that the greatest challenge for a new secular, liberal democratic Iran would be the question of controlling the military and seeking justice against officials in the regime. He concluded that higher-ranking members of the Islamic regime would face trials for human rights abuses but lower ranking members could be pardoned to allow reintegration into society, citing the Nuremberg trials in which top Nazi officials were prosecuted while lower ranking members were reintegrated back into Germany, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in South Africa after the end of apartheid as examples to follow.[27]

In March 2023, Pahlavi embarked on a tour of the United Kingdom and gave a speech to the Oxford Union. During the speech, he argued that "secular[ism] is a prerequisite to democracy" and that Islamic regimes fail by not accepting freedom of religion. He called for the right to Internet access to be restored to Iran to help communication between dissident movements and for non-violent tactics to be used in bringing down the Iranian regime. During the speech, a large demonstration took place outside in support of Pahlavi calling for his restoration.[28][29]

On 17 April 2023, he and his wife Yasmine visited Israel in "an effort to rebuild the historic relations between Iran and Israel." Upon his arrival to Israel, he visited the Western Wall and Yad Vashem on the occasion of Yom HaShoah, and met with President of Israel Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.[30][31][32] He also paid a condolence call to the bereaved Dee family at their home in the West Bank settlement of Efrat on Tuesday, after the deaths of sisters Maia and Rina and their mother Lucy in a deadly terror shooting during the Passover holiday.[33]

Succession

Reza Pahlavi II is first in the line of succession to his late father. In contrast, his younger brother Ali-Reza Pahlavi II was second in line until his death by suicide in 2011.[34] Before Reza Pahlavi's birth, the presumptive heir was Patrick Ali Pahlavi, the crown prince's cousin.

In February 2019, Reza Pahlavi launched the Phoenix Project of Iran initiative. According to the National Interest, this is "designed to bring the various strains of the opposition closer to a common vision for a post-clerical Iran".[35]

Within Iran

A report published by the Brookings Institution in 2009 said that Pahlavi lacked an organized following within Iran since there was no serious monarchist movement in Iran itself. The report described Pahlavi as having "little in common with the intellectuals and students who make up the core of the reform movement".[36]

During 2017–18 Iranian protests, some videos on social media showed demonstrators chanting slogans in favor of Pahlavi's grandfather and calling for his return.[37][38] On many occasions the videos indicated the royalist slogans prompt others in the crowd to shout the slogans down.[39]

In January 2023, New York-based Iranian scholar and writer Arash Azizi noted that among younger Iranians on social media and at public demonstrations support for Pahlavi has become more visible and argued "To any fair observer of Iran, Pahlavi has a certain degree of support in Iranian society, although it is hard to discern just how wide this support is." He also noted that a number of Iranian dissident activists and celebrities including Dariush Eghbali (who had been imprisoned under the Shah's rule), actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, actor Hamid Farrokhnezhad and Olympian Kimia Alizadeh have come out in support of Pahlavi being a figurehead to unite anti-regime movements. Tehran based intellectual Khashayar Dayhimi opined "I believe that, if there was a referendum today and Reza Pahlavi was on the ballot, he'd easily win because people don't know anyone other than him."[40]

Among Iranian expatriates

Pahlavi enjoys wide popularity with the older generation of Iranian expatriates that left Iran during the 1979 revolution and with some people in Iran.[41][better source needed] In 2006, Connie Bruck of The New Yorker wrote that Los Angeles is home to about 600,000 Iranian expatriates, and said it was a monarchist stronghold.[42]

A 2013 survey of Iranian-Americans conducted by George Mason University's Center for Social Science Research found that 85% of respondents did not support any Iranian opposition groups or figures. Of the remaining 15% who expressed support, 20% backed him.[43]

Support during the Mahsa Amini protests

Main article: Alliance for Democracy and Freedom in Iran

In a recent attempt in 2023 to garner support for Reza Pahlavi as a representative for transition, a petition was created on the platform Change.org that has amassed over 460,000 signatures.[44]

Reza Pahlavi asked Iranians worldwide to protest against the Islamic Republic on its 44th anniversary, February 11, 2023. As a result, people rallied in multiple cities in the US, Europe, Australia, and Canada.[45][46][47] Reza Pahlavi himself participated in LA rally where a crowd of more than 80,000 showed up.[48]

July 2024 speech

In July 2024, Pahlavi was invited to speak at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C. In his speech, Pahlavi blamed the Iranian regime for the spread of radical Islam to other nations in the Middle East and the West following the revolution and promised that Iranians will take Iran back in the near future. He also argued that Masoud Pezeshkian was not a "moderate" politician due to his friendship with Hezbollah. He warned United States not to launch a military campaign against the regime, arguing "the problem that began in Iran must be ended in Iran" and concluded "the soon to be free Iran, doesn’t seek your patronage. It seeks your partnership. It doesn’t seek your funding. It seeks your friendship.”[49]

In an essay for The Daily Telegraph, he called IRGC to be designated terror group by British government for its funding of Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis and suppression of Zan Zendegi Azadi.[50]

Second Trump admin

In November 2024 Pahlavi called Iranians to not to wait no longer, to take Iran back. He posted that he is ready to lead any interim rule. He said in a Newsmax interview that internal force will topple the regime.[51][52][53]

Foreign support

Bob Woodward wrote in 1986 that the Reagan administration authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to support and fund Iranian exiles, including Pahlavi. The agency transmitted his 11-minute speech during which he vowed "I will return" to Iranian television by pirating its frequency.[54] The Tower Commission report, published in 1987, also acknowledged that the CIA was behind this event[55] while a group in Paris calling itself 'Flag of Freedom' had taken responsibility for the act in September 1986.[56]

James Mann wrote in February 1989 that when he asked the CIA about whether they helped Pahlavi, they refused to comment, and a spokesperson of the agency told him, "We would not confirm nor deny an intelligence matter".[57]

In 2006, Connie Bruck of The New Yorker wrote that "Pahlavi had CIA funding for several years in the eighties, but it ended after the Iran-Contra scandal".[42] Andrew Friedman of Haverford College states that Pahlavi began cooperation with the CIA after he met director William J. Casey and received a monthly stipend, citing Pahlavi's financial advisor and other observers. Friedman also connects his residence in Great Falls, Virginia to its proximity to George Bush Center for Intelligence, headquarters of the service.[58]

In 2009, Pahlavi denied receiving U.S. government or foreign aid in an interview with The New York Times. Pahlavi said "No, no. I don't rely on any sources other than my own compatriots" and denied allegations of working with the CIA, calling the allegations "absolutely and unequivocally false".[59] However, in 2017 he told Jon Gambrell of the Associated Press: "My focus right now is on liberating Iran, and I will find any means that I can, without compromising the national interests and independence, with anyone who is willing to give us a hand, whether it is the U.S. or the Saudis or the Israelis or whomever it is."[60]

Personal life

Iranian imperial family

Empress Farah

Relationships and marriage

According to a People article published in 1978, Pahlavi dated a "blond, blue-eyed Swedish model he met in Rome".[61] The same publication also reported that he lived with his girlfriend in Lubbock, Texas.[61] As of 1980, he had an Egyptian girlfriend who was a student of The American University in Cairo, reportedly "closely guarded" by bodyguards.[11]

Pahlavi began a relationship with Yasmine Etemad-Amini in 1985, and a year later married her, then aged 17, at 25.[9] The couple have three daughters: Noor (born 3 April 1992), Iman (born 12 September 1993), and Farah (born 17 January 2004).

In 2004, Pahlavi was named the "unofficial godfather" of Princess Louise of Belgium, the eighth granddaughter of King Albert II of the Belgians.[62]

Hobbies

Pahlavi was a keen football player and spectator. He was a fan of the capital's football club Esteghlal, then known as Taj (lit. 'Crown'), and his support was even televised by the National Iranian Radio and Television. The club performed in annual rallies organized on his birthday, identifying the club with the Pahlavi regime.[63]

In 1981, UPI reported that Pahlavi attended the elite Gueziro Club in Cairo to watch tennis and was occasionally seen in discotheques at hotels in the vicinity of the Nile.[12]

Religious beliefs

When interviewed about religion, Pahlavi said, "That's a private matter, but if you must know, I am, of course, by education and conviction, a Shia Muslim. I am very much a man of faith."[59] Iranian writer Reza Bayegan also notes that Crown Prince Reza is alleged "deeply attached" to his Muslim faith. He has performed the Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca.[64]

Occupation

In 1989, The Washington Post reported that Pahlavi was unemployed.[9] Asked about his sources of income, he replied that he had been financially supported by "friends and family" in the past seven years.[9] In 2017, he told the Associated Press that since 1979 he had had no "side occupation" (about political activities), adding that his money came from his family and "many Iranians who have supported the cause".[60] According to a December 2018 news report by Politico, "he is thought to live mainly on what's left of his family wealth, his only full-time job being speaking out about Iran".[65]

Shahbazi v. Pahlavi

In 1990, Ali Haydar Shahbazi, a former Imperial Guard member who worked for Pahlavi as a longtime bodyguard, filed a lawsuit in the district court of Alexandria, Virginia, accusing Pahlavi of breaching Iranian tradition by breaking his pledge to take care of him financially.[66] Shahbazi, then aged 58, said in the court he abandoned more than $400,000 in property in Iran because Pahlavi assured him "I'm going to pay your expenses and everything. I'm going to take care of you better than my father [did]" when he was hired, and then fired him with a handshake and $9,000 in 1989.[66] Shahbazi asked compensation for the $30,000 in taxes and penalties as well as an undetermined amount of money for his retirement.[66] Pahlavi's attorney dismissed the claim, saying that Shahbazi has received gifts worth several thousand dollars and was allowed to live luxuriously in Pahlavi's house in Great Falls, Virginia, adding that the servant was fired because his client ran out of money.[67] Pahlavi agreed that Shahbazi was a loyal friend but he offered support as long as he could.[66] He also told the judge, "I was not involved in the day-to-day handling of my financial affairs".[66]

In 1991, District Judge Albert Vickers Bryan Jr. argued that Pahlavi "had little knowledge of how his estate's money was spent and could not be held personally accountable for employment agreements with servants", declaring the case dismissed.[67] According to media reports, Pahlavi began to cry in the court when the judge threw out the case.[68][67]

Ansari v. Pahlavi

In 1990, Pahlavi and Ahmad Ali Massoud Ansari, his close aide and financial adviser, filed lawsuits against each other.[69] Pahlavi accused Ansari of embezzlement amounting $24 million, while Ansari claimed $1.7 million lien against Pahlavi.[69] During the trial, Pahlavi's attorney told the court "[d]ue to the demands of his political responsibilities and his lack of experience in financial matters, Pahlavi had to trust completely in Ansari for the management of his funds... over the years, no one supplanted Ansari in any way in Pahlavi's trust. Conversely, no one betrayed Pahlavi's trust any more than Ansari", going further to accuse Ansari as "an agent" for the Islamic Republic of Iran.[69] Ansari denied the accusations and blamed Pahlavi for squandering the money with his extravagance, stating he faithfully carried out orders that Pahlavi was aware of.[69]

The court asked Ansari to provide a complete accounting of his money handling, but he alleged that the documents had been destroyed to prevent a potential seizure. In 1996, the court ruled that Ansari should repay $7.3 million to Pahlavi and fined him an additional $2 million.[69]

Television network

In November 2014, Pahlavi founded his own television and radio network called Ofogh Iran;[70] in July 2017 it was reported that the Ofogh Iran International Media telethon no longer belonged to Pahlavi.[71]

Bibliography

  • Gozashteh va Ayandeh, London: Kayham Publishing, 2000. (in Persian)
  • Winds of Change: The Future of Democracy in Iran, Regnery Publishing Inc., 2002, ISBN 0-89526-191-X.[72]
  • Iran: L'Heure du Choix, Denoël, 2009. (in French)

Honours

National

  • Sovereign and Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi (26 September 1967, Iran)
  • Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi Coronation Medal (26 October 1967, Iran)
  • 25th Centennial Anniversary Medal (14 October 1971, Iran)
  • Persepolis Medal (15 October 1971, Iran)

Foreign

Other recognitions

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi will proclaim himself the new shah of Iran", United Press International, 17 October 1980, retrieved 25 January 2019, His Imperial Highness Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, will reach his constitutional majority on the 9th of Aban, 1359 (October 31, 1980). On this date, and in conformity with the Iranian Constitution, the regency of Her Imperial Majesty Farah Pahlavi, Shahbanou of Iran, will end. His Imperial Highness, who will send a message to the people of Iran on this occasion, will succeed his father, His Imperial Majesty Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, deceased in Cairo on Mordad 5, 1359 (July 27, 1980).
  2. ^ پور, بکتاش خمسه (18 September 2017). "کناره‌گیری رضا پهلوی از ریاست "شورای ملی ایران"". رادیو فردا. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019.
  3. ^ Maciej Milczanowski (2014), "US Policy towards Iran under President Barack Obama's Administration" (PDF), Hemispheres: Studies on Cultures and Societies, 29 (4), Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures Polish Academy of Sciences: 53–66, ISSN 0239-8818
  4. ^ Freedland, Jonathan (26 January 1997), "The Prince's Trust: The Boy Who Lost Everything", The Observer, London, United Kingdom, pp. 97, 168–169
  5. ^ Axthelm, Pete; Brynner, Victoria (3 April 1989). "The Man Who Would Be Shah". People. Vol. 31, no. 13. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Pahlavi recalls 'tremendous boost to my morale' during Air Force training in Lubbock", Lubbock Online, Avalanche-Journal Media, 9 January 2018, retrieved 25 January 2019
  7. ^ Houchang E. Chehabi (Autumn 2002). "A Political History of Football in Iran". Iranian Studies. 35 (4): 387. doi:10.1080/14660970600615328. S2CID 144616657.
  8. ^ "Caprock Chronicles: Lubbock once home to crown prince of Iran", Lubbock Online, 10 February 2018, retrieved 25 January 2019
  9. ^ a b c d e Hall, Carla (21 May 1989), "The Shah Without a Country", The Washington Post, retrieved 25 January 2019
  10. ^ "Empress Farah Dibah Pahlavi: My son may one day return to his country and take over his father's throne", United Press International, 23 July 1984, retrieved 25 January 2019
  11. ^ a b Guindi, Maurice (30 October 1980), "Fulfilling his father's deathbed wish, Crown Prince Reza will proclaim himself shah of Iran", United Press International, retrieved 25 January 2019
  12. ^ a b c d "Former Student Prince Aims at Iranian Throne", The United Press International, Pittsfield, Massachusetts: The Berkshire Eagle, p. 23, 6 August 1981
  13. ^ Koven, Ronald (28 July 1980), "Royal Heir: Family Hails Elder Son as New Shah", The Washington Post Service, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, p. 7
  14. ^ "Shah's Son Names Himself King, Bids Iran to End Its 'Nightmare'", The Miami Herald, Miami, Florida, Herald Wire Service, p. 14, 1 November 1980
  15. ^ Schweid, Barry (1 November 1980), "U.S. Vows Recognition, No Sanctions for Iran", The Miami Herald, Miami, Florida, The Associated Press, p. 14
  16. ^ "Reza II vows to oust Khomeini", The Associated Press, Indianapolis, Indiana: The Indianapolis News, p. 1, 5 August 1981
  17. ^ a b Fisher, Dan (28 October 1988), "Sharon Linked to '82 Anti-Khomeini Coup Plot", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 15 September 2020
  18. ^ "Shah's Son to Wed... Someone", Times-Advocate, Escondido, California, p. 2, 3 May 1986
  19. ^ April 2011 Q&A, Question 4 Archived 12 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine rezapahlavi.org
  20. ^ December Q&A, Question 7 Archived 12 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine rezapahlavi.org
  21. ^ Prinz Reza Pahlavi über den Iran: "Dieses Regime ist äußerst anti-religiös" Archived 4 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. (interview with Reza Pahlavi, in German) Zenit.org (31 March 2010). Retrieved on 9 June 2012.
  22. ^ Reza Pahlavi. The Challenge Of Implementing Democracy And Human Rights In Iran. The International Society of Human Rights – Bonn, Germany, 27 March 2010. Rezapahlavi.com
  23. ^ Iran's Crown Prince calls on West to support anti-government protests. Telegraph. 16 February 2011. Retrieved on 9 June 2012.
  24. ^ "The Late Shah's Son Wants a Democratic Revolution in Iran". Bloomberg. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019. From exile, Reza Pahlavi supports a movement to retake his homeland. But he says he doesn't want a throne.
  25. ^ "Son of deposed Iranian Shah calls for U.S.-backed regime change". Politico. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019. In a sign that he welcomes the higher visibility, Pahlavi made a rare public appearance.
  26. ^ "Iran's Exiled Prince Calls For Coordinated Front Against Islamic Republic". 3 June 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  27. ^ Turner, Camilla (25 February 2023). "Islamic Revolutionary Guard must be proscribed, says Iran's exiled Crown Prince". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Hundreds demonstrate in support of Iran's Reza Pahlavi at Oxford Union". 27 February 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, addresses the Oxford Union". March 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  30. ^ Ansar, Ahmed (18 April 2023). "Son of Iran's deposed Shah visits Israel, meets with Netanyahu". Andolu Agency. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  31. ^ "Son of Iran's last shah arrives in Israel to push for 'peaceful, prosperous future'". The Times of Israel. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  32. ^ Sokol, Sam (18 April 2023). "Son of Iran's Last Shah Visits Israel, Calls to 'Renew Historical Bonds' Between Countries". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  33. ^ "Son of Iran's last shah pays condolence call to Dee family, visits Western Wall". The Times of Israel.
  34. ^ Moaveni, Azadeh (5 January 2011). "Iran Reacts to Suicide of the Shah's Son". Time. Retrieved 22 May 2019. Pahlavi's older brother Reza, first in line to the throne
  35. ^ Harounoff, Jonathan (13 August 2019). "The White House Once Labeled Them Terrorists. Now They're Being Called Iran's Next Government". Haaretz.
  36. ^ Kenneth M. Pollack; Daniel L. Byman; Martin S. Indyk; Suzanne Maloney (June 2009). "Toppling Tehran". Which Path to Persia?: Options for a New American Strategy toward Iran. Brookings Institution. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-8157-0379-2. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  37. ^ Yeganeh Torbati; Paresh Dave; David Ingram (4 January 2018), John Walcott; James Dalgleish (eds.), "U.S. should clear way for tech companies to help Iranians: former crown prince", Reuters, retrieved 1 February 2018
  38. ^ Callum Paton (5 January 2018), "Iran Protests: Who are the Iranian Opposition and who will Rule if the Regime Falls", Newsweek, retrieved 1 February 2018
  39. ^ Mather, Yassamine (2018), "The political economy of Iran's Islamic state, Donald Trump and threats of war", Critique, 46 (3): 443–469, doi:10.1080/03017605.2018.1496543, ISSN 1748-8605, S2CID 150167382
  40. ^ "Can Reza Pahlavi help unite the Iranian opposition? A hashtag is suggesting so". 24 January 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  41. ^ Lone, Mahlia (1 July 2016). "Memorable Romance: The Shah & I". Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  42. ^ a b Connie Bruck (6 March 2006). "Exiles: How Iran's Expatriates are Gaming the Nuclear Threat". The New Yorker. p. 48.
  43. ^ "National Public Opinion Survey of Iranian Americans" (PDF), Center for Social Science Research, George Mason University, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), p. 10, 2013, retrieved 11 June 2017
  44. ^ "Campaign To Give Power Of Attorney To Iran's Exiled Prince Gains Momentum". Iran International. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  45. ^ فردا, رادیو (11 February 2023). "مخالفان جمهوری اسلامی در همبستگی با معترضان ایران در شهرهای مختلف دنیا تجمع کردند". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  46. ^ "Top Opponents Of Iranian Regime Deliver Speeches In US Rallies". Iran International. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  47. ^ "Thousands Of Iranians Gather To Protest At US Consulate". The National Telegraph. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  48. ^ "Photos: Thousands in L.A. rally in support of the anti-government movement in Iran". Los Angeles Times. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  49. ^ "Exiled prince warns West about Iran's role in spreading 'radical Islamism'". Iran International. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  50. ^ "Listing the IRGC as a terrorist group will be a boost for Iran's demo…". archive.ph. 13 July 2024. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  51. ^ https://nitter.poast.org/PahlaviReza/status/1857079557985075385#m. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  52. ^ "شاهزاده رضا پهلوی: برای رهبری دوران گذار آماده‌ام". ir.voanews.com. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  53. ^ "Exiled prince Pahlavi says ready for interim rule". Iran International. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  54. ^ Bob Woodward (19 November 1986). "CIA Support for Exiles, Other Covert Iran Activity Reported". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2017 – via Los Angeles Times Archive.
  55. ^ John Tower; John Goodwin Tower; Edmund S. Muskie; Brent Scowcroft (1987). "United States President's Special Review Board". The Tower Commission Report: The Full Text of the President's Special Review Board. A New York Times special. Bantam Books. p. 398. ISBN 978-0-553-26968-0.
  56. ^ "Supporters of Reza Pahlavi, son of the late shah...", United Press International, 23 September 1986
  57. ^ Mann, James (9 February 1989), "Don't Trust Khomeini, Shah's Son Warns U.S.", Los Angeles Times, p. 12
  58. ^ Friedman, Andrew (2013). "Iran-Contra As Built Space". Covert Capital: Landscapes of Denial and the Making of U.S. Empire in the Suburbs of Northern Virginia. American Crossroads. Vol. 7. the University of California Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-520-27464-8. Not only was it not surprising that Reza Pahlavi ended up in the Northern Virginia suburbs, it would be hard to imagine him going anywhere else. Ex-CIA agents in McLean began offering Shah Reza Pahlavi estates and farms as retreats in Northern Virginia as early as 1979, swearing they could spirit him past immigration officials at Dulles Airport. A major reason the younger Pahlavi moved to Great Falls was political. Building his house some ten minutes away from Langley, he was, according to his advisor and other observers, receiving a monthly CIA stipend. After a meeting with Bill Casey in Rabat, they began what Pahlavi called "intelligence cooperation... for mutual benefits." Although he denied he took agency money, his financial advisor once claimed that Pahlavi's stipend sometimes rose to $150,000 a month. A large picture of him hung on the wall in Langley's Iran division, accompanied by the moniker "The Hope of Democracy of Iran". This "Iran" in Iran-Contra sometimes created complexities for the arms-selling project. In September 1986, a CIA technical strike blocked TV signals on national Iranian TV from broadcasting an eleven-minute speech by Reza Cyrus, then resident in Northern Virginia, into Iran.
  59. ^ a b Soloman, Deborah (26 June 2009). "The Exile". The New York Times Magazine.
  60. ^ a b Jon Gambrell (9 April 2017). "Iran's long-exiled prince wants a revolution in age of Trump". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  61. ^ a b Demaret, Kent; Williams, Keith (9 October 1978), "A Shah-in-Training Learns About Air Force Tradition and Sweet Texas Accents", People, retrieved 25 January 2019
  62. ^ The Roman Catholic Church, the Church of the child being baptized, does not accept non-Catholics as godparents, given the religious nature of the role, so Pahlavi's role was downgraded to unofficial, not formal. Kadivar, Darius. "ROYAL CURTSY: Crown Prince Reza Godfather to Belgium's Prince Prince Laurent's Daughter". Iranian.com: Persian Realm.
  63. ^ Kausik Bandyopadhyay; Sabyasachi Mallick (2013). Fringe Nations in World Soccer. Routledge. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-317-99810-5.
  64. ^ Reza Bayegan. "Reza Pahlavi and the Question of Religion". Payvand.
  65. ^ "Son of deposed Iranian Shah calls for U.S.-backed regime change". Politico. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  66. ^ a b c d e Howe, Robert F. (25 January 1991), "Lawsuit Against Son of Shah is Dismissed by U.S. Judge", The Washington Post, retrieved 15 September 2020
  67. ^ a b c Howe, Robert F. (24 January 1991), "U.S. Law Meets Persian Culture in VA", The Washington Post, retrieved 15 September 2020
  68. ^ Toure, Yemi (28 January 1991), "In This Corner...: If...", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 15 September 2020
  69. ^ a b c d e Hsu, Spencer S. (22 July 1996), "Reversal of Fortune", The Washington Post, retrieved 15 September 2020
  70. ^ "About – افق ایران". ofoghiran.tv. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  71. ^ Behnegarsoft.com. "رسانه ايران – "افق ایران، دیگر متعلق به شاهزاده رضا پهلوی نیست"". rasanehiran.com. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  72. ^ "Winds of Change: The Future of Democracy in Iran". Middle East Quarterly. 14 (1). 1 June 2002. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  73. ^ "REZA S.A.I. Ciro decorato di Gran Cordone" (in Italian). Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  74. ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF).
  75. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 458. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  76. ^ "King Kigeli". King Kigeli.
  77. ^ Elenco dei Cavalieri dell'Ordine supremo della Santissima Annunziata
  78. ^ RFE/RL (22 March 2012). "Farda Audience Picks Late Shah's Son As Iran's Person of the Year". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  79. ^ Talbot, Victoria (26 January 2017). "Beverly Hills News – Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi Seeks Support For Peaceful Revolution".
  80. ^ "The Mayor of Beverly Hills Presenting the Key to the City to The Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi". YouTube. January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran
Born: 31 October 1960
Titles in pretence
Preceded by — TITULAR —
Shah of Iran
27 July 1980 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Monarchy abolished in 1979 		Incumbent
Unofficial heir:
Princess Noor
Lines of succession
Vacant
Title last held by
Mohammad Reza 		Crown Prince of Iran
26 October 1967 – 11 February 1979 		Vacant
New title
Party established
 President of National Council of Iran
April 2013 – 16 September 2017 		Succeeded by
Leadership Council
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reza_Pahlavi,_Crown_Prince_of_Iran&oldid=1257681345"