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-President Jimmy Carter to Tehran on New Year’s Eve—shortly before losing power.

With his father’s death in 1980, Reza officially became crown prince on his 20th birthday. In a speech he gave then, he addressed the Iranian people: “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.”

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

Over the years that passed, the crown prince invested effort in undermining the regime of the ayatollahs, but the chance for a reversal seemed slim until President Donald Trump’s arrival. Alongside the imposition of economic sanctions by the Trump administration, the prince returned to and intensified political activity, including paying a visit to Israel in April 2023.

He arrived in the country together with his wife at the invitation of Minister Gila Gamliel, and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The program then included emotional appearances at 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 terrorist attack in the Jordan Valley.

“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.

The special connection between Pahlavi and Minister Gamliel has continued even after the Hamas-led Oct. 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.

In an interview with Israel Hayom, days after the launch of Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” against the Islamic Republic in June, the crown prince expressed hope for change. Pahlavi was convinced that the blows Israel delivered to the 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,” said Pahlavi. “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.”

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.”

In an interview he recently gave to Fox News, Reza addressed 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,” said Pahlavi.

***