"Beginning in the 1960s, sweeping reforms dismantled feudal landholding, expanded women’s rights, and fueled the growth of a substantial middle class. By the 1970s, Iran had entered the ranks of the world’s top 20 economies." . . .
"Thousands of miles away, Iran was unraveling. Protesters flooded the streets, chanting “Death to the Shah!” Nationwide strikes shut down factories, schools, and oil fields, threatening vital Western interests. Before the cameras, Carter projected calm and reaffirmed the U.S.–Iran alliance. Behind the scenes, the White House was quietly planning for the collapse of the Pahlavi monarchy.
"In the weeks that followed, contingency planning gave way to quiet disengagement. Carter urged the Shah toward exile while opening secret channels to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, hoping to reach an accommodation with the exiled cleric. The double game backfired. The United States lost Iran, endured the longest hostage crisis in its history, and would go on to spend trillions of dollars fighting wars across the Middle East to protect oil routes and strategic interests. (RELATED: Jimmy Carter’s Iran)
"As Iranians unwittingly traded progress for a brutal theocracy, Crown Prince Reza faded from view, seemingly consigned to history. (RELATED: The Prince and the Protests)
"But now, to the frustration of the Islamic Republic, Pahlavi has reemerged as the most prominent opposition figure in exile. Regime mouthpieces in the West continue to criticize him, but developments inside the country tell a different story. (RELATED: Time to Stand With the People of Iran)
"Reza Pahlavi’s name is being chanted across Iran, alongside the names and images of his father and grandfather, and other pre-Islamic Iranian symbols, including the Pahlavi-era flag. They are spray-painted on walls, raised at protests, and even tattooed onto bodies. Protesters chant “Javid Shah” (long live the Shah) and “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return.” No other individual or faction commands a comparable level of visible support. (RELATED: It’s Now or Never in Iran) . . .
Reza Pahlavi may never sit on the Peacock Throne, as he has said he does not seek it, but he has inherited something more durable: a name that, for tens of millions of Iranians, still signifies order, dignity, and the hope of a better future.
Kambiz Fattahi is a former BBC journalist and Managing Director of Iran Open Data (IOD). He is the author of the forthcoming book The Betrayal: Jimmy Carter, Khomeini, and America’s Secret Surrender in Iran.
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