Who Is Reza Pahlavi?

As the Iranian regime is reeling from sanctions, crippling economic pressures and now an uprising by the people that won’t go away, a man who thought he would have ruled Iran growing up is positioning himself to do just that as we’re told in an article from Israel Hayom:

Reza Pahlavi has lived nearly 50 years in exile, and now, against the backdrop of protests in Iran, he is working harder than ever to end them and return to Iran. For him, the return "home" is under one title – Crown Prince of the Persian Empire. How did the child born into luxury become a leader spurring protests from afar and promising a new future with Israel?

Now one can run a campaign outside of Iran and Pahlavi appears to be doing just that:

Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has been operating his social media accounts from exile in the United States at a heightened pace in recent days as he rallies protestors in the current wave of demonstrations.

It is apparent to many, including myself, that is exactly what he must do:

Before him stands one clear objective – to overthrow the regime that took power from his father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in 1979, 47 years ago.

Before we look at the current events, we need to learn more about the crown prince:

The Iranian Crown Prince was born on October 31, 1960, in Tehran, 19 years after his father inherited power from his grandfather. At that time, he did not imagine that he would never serve as the leader of the Persian Empire.

Reza Pahlavi studied at the Reza Pahlavi School, named after him, which was established within the walls of Niavaran Palace in northern Tehran, and lived a life of luxury. A biographer of his father noted that the talented Crown Prince once played rock music at the palace during a visit by then-US President Jimmy Carter to Tehran on New Year's Eve – shortly before losing power.

Although he didn’t know it at the time that when he came to America he would never return:

In 1978, at age 18, Reza left Iran for a flight course at the US Air Force base in Texas, and has essentially not returned to his country since. A year later, in 1979, the Islamic Revolution broke out in Iran, which toppled the monarchical regime after nearly 50 years. His father, the Shah, fled the country, and Reza found himself in exile.

His father died shortly after Iran fell which made Reza the title he holds today. When he became the official prince, he addressed Iran from afar:

With his father's death in 1980, Reza officially became Crown Prince on his 20th birthday, but obviously with the title and without the crown. In a speech he gave then, he addressed the Iranian people and said, "I can understand and sympathize with your suffering and your inner torments. I shed the tears that you must hide. But there is, I am sure, light beyond the darkness. Deep in your hearts, you can be certain that this nightmare, like others in our history, will pass."

Reza lived in America while his mom lived in Europe:

In the early 1980s, he settled in exile in the United States, in cities like Los Angeles and Washington DC, while his mother, Shahbanu (title for Iranian empress) Farah Pahlavi, lived in Paris.

It Took Some Time

Reza has always wanted to see the Ayatollahs overthrown but those dreams were long shots. That is until now. A recent trip to Israel raised hope that Iran could change hands and that this Crown prince would be friends of the Jews:

Over the years that passed, the Crown Prince invested efforts to undermine the terror regime of the Ayatollahs, but the chance for a reversal seemed slim until Trump's arrival. Alongside the imposition of economic sanctions, the prince returned to political activity which he intensified, activity that also included a visit in April 2023 to Israel. He arrived in the country together with his wife, at the invitation of Minister Gila Gamliel, and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The program then included an emotional appearance at mandatory sites, such as the Western Wall and Yad Vashem, and an equally moving condolence visit to Rabbi Leo Dee, who lost his wife and two daughters in a terror attack in the Jordan Valley.

Add to this the message he left at the Western Wall:

"To peace, to freedom, to security, human dignity, to live together. I bless the people of Iran and Israel," the Shah's son wrote in the Western Wall guestbook.

He also had strong words for Iran and their connection to the 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas:

The special connection between Pahlavi and Minister Gamliel has continued even after the October 7 massacre. Pahlavi condemned the massacre in the harshest terms, and placed responsibility on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's regime for the barbaric murder of 1,200 Israelis.

Publicly, his saw Israel’s attacks on Iran as key to ending the Ayatollah’s rule:

In an interview with Israel Hayom, days after the launch of Operation Rising Lion, the Iranian Crown Prince expressed hope for change. Pahlavi was convinced that the blows Israel delivered to the Ayatollahs' regime had shaken its grip on the country.

"The overwhelming majority of the Iranian people oppose this oppressive regime. Despite the risks, they continue to make their voices heard – something that constitutes proof of the depth and breadth of the opposition. Very few are truly willing to sacrifice themselves for the regime. A low percentage directly benefit from its mechanisms of corruption and oppression, and from it only a small minority truly adhere to the regime's extremist ideology," Pahlavi said. "My vision is a democratic and secular Iran, based on human rights, equality, prosperity and peace, a nation that earns partnership and respect from the international community, and that is governed according to the will of the Iranian people."

A New Iran

The Crown Prince envisions an Iran that all of the Middle East will want to see exist. He also encouraged surrounding countries to work with Iran if he leads them:

In the same interview he expressed desire for cooperation with all countries of the region including Israel. "Iran and Israel can and should cultivate relations of mutual respect and mutual benefit, that will be based on diplomacy, economic cooperation, regional stability and peaceful coexistence. We will also aspire to similar relations with all our neighbors in the Arab world – from Saudi Arabia, through Jordan and to the United Arab Emirates."

Reza also realizes that all of the changes that he sees now are directly connected to US President Trump:

In an interview he recently gave to Fox News, Reza addressed US President Donald Trump and called for overthrowing the regime while establishing relations with the State of Israel. "Mr. President, you have already established your legacy as a man committed to peace and fighting the forces of evil. There is a reason why Iranians call your name in the streets. They know you are the complete opposite of Obama and Joe Biden. They know you won't throw them under the bus."

And he’s right. Both Obama and Biden did precious little or even worse when the people took the streets in the past. Reza then complimented Trump even more:

He added, "They draw strength from the hope that you have their back. Let's hope you can cement this legacy forever by liberating Iran, so that we and you can restore it to its greatness. I am ready to return to Iran at the first opportunity and I am planning this with the transition team. We hope that this time the Iranian people will win and they will win. Because they are willing to die for this cause. This is not just for us Iranians, it is for the entire world. To ensure that all the evil this regime has brought to the world will disappear. That we can finally breathe, and achieve good relations with our neighbors, with the Israelis and with the Arab neighbors and with the rest of the world."

While I commend him for his rhetoric, I also know that these Arab countries still don’t recognize Israel as a nation even to this day. Many of them still teach their children to hate Jews. Their mosques preach antisemitism all the time. They may allow religious freedom of speech in a more Western society and their leaders can find ways to work with Israel in a broad sense, but a lot of hearts need to change before they and Israel can be seen as true brothers. And if Reza rises to power as he desires it would be a good thing for Israel as his recent actions and words lead us to believe. But Bible prophecy still shows us that at some point in the future Iran will be part of a coalition of nations, including Russia that will come down to destroy Israel. I don’t see Reza doing that. So how this all turns out would be up in the air if he is their leader. However, when his dad was in charge, we couldn’t see it happening, either. As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we need to factor in how the prophetic chess pieces are moving and always ask God for the specific ways things must occur.