Who is Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and what does he have to do with the protests?

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0 January 12, 2026 07:22

Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has been in exile for nearly 50 years. His father – Iran’s last shah – was so widely hated that millions took to the streets against him in 1979, forcing him from power. Nevertheless, the 65-year-old crown prince is trying to position himself as a player in his country’s future. Shahram Akbarzadeh, a professor of Middle East politics at Deakin University, examines whether Iranian protesters really want a return of the Peacock Throne, as the Pahlavi dynasty was known. He also discusses on CNA’s Asia Now if the demonstrators are just desperately looking for anything that is not Iran’s Shia theocracy.

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