Who Is Iran's Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, Whose Call For Protest Against Khamenei Regime Intensified Widespread Unrest

New Delhi: Amid widespread protests in Iran against rising prices and economic hardship, pouring into the streets across several provinces in Iran, the government implemented a total communications blackout, severing both internet access and international phone lines. 

This drastic move was a direct response to widespread nighttime protests sparked by a call to action from the country’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, stated reports. The demonstrations saw citizens protesting from their homes and surging into the streets in significant numbers. 

This latest wave of unrest serves as a pivotal trial for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Crown Prince, to see if he can effectively mobilise the Iranian public.

Who is Reza Pahlavi?
 

Born in Tehran in 1960 and officially designated the crown prince in 1967, Pahlavi is the son of the last Shah, who went into exile during the 1979 Revolution. He has spent most of his adult life in exile in the Washington, DC area, where he has advocated for regime change and a more secular government for Iran. 

Reza Pahlavi’s upbringing was one of extreme privilege and seclusion. He was raised under the care of a French governess and a military guardian, attending a private palace school where he led the soccer team. His life was largely disconnected from the general population; however, anecdotes from childhood friends describe a young Pahlavi occasionally evading his security detail to visit the local bazaar, seeking a rare glimpse of everyday Iranian life.

In 1978, at age 17, Pahlavi moved to Texas for pilot training at Reese Air Force Base. Hideparture preceded the 1979 Islamic Revolution by only a few months, a massive, diverse uprising against his father’s increasingly authoritarian rule that ultimately forced the royal family into exile. 

After completing his military training in March 1979, Pahlavi joined his family as they sought refuge in several countries, living under such heavy guard that he described the experience as being trapped in a "fortress." Following his father’s death from cancer in Egypt in 1980, Pahlavi held a ceremony in Cairo to declare himself the new Shah, later describing his status as a "king-elect" in exile.

After starting his studies at Williams College, Pahlavi relocated to Morocco following his father’s passing. He eventually completed a degree in political science from the University of Southern California via a correspondence program in 1985.

During a trip to Washington, D.C. that same year, he met Yasmine Etemad-Amini. The couple married in 1986 and settled in northern Virginia, a move that allowed Pahlavi to engage with the political scene in the U.S. capital while his wife attended George Washington University. That same year, he successfully bypassed Iranian state media to deliver a clandestine 11-minute television broadcast to the Iranian people, famously vowing, “I will return.”

Throughout the 2010s, Pahlavi remained a vocal advocate for regime change, yet his efforts struggled to gain significant traction or produce tangible political shifts within Iran. This period was marked by a persistent debate among geopolitical analysts regarding his actual influence; many experts questioned whether his popularity was limited to nostalgic expatriates or if he truly possessed a broad, meaningful following among the younger generations living inside Iran.

Notably, protesters are openly chanting in support of the former monarchy, a bold act that historically carried the death penalty. This shift highlights the sheer desperation and fury driving the movement, which originally ignited over the country's collapsing economy.

Anti-Khamenei protest in Iran

Amid the ongoing unrest in Iran, a nighttime demonstration called by the country’s exiled crown prince drew a mass of protesters to shout from their windows and storm the streets. 

Protests continued across urban and rural Iran on Thursday, supported by widespread market and bazaar strikes. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the unrest has turned deadly, with at least 42 fatalities and over 2,270 detentions reported so far.

Acting on Pahlavi’s call for protests at 8:00 p.m. local time, residents across Tehran launched a wave of defiant chanting. Witnesses reported shouts of “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the Islamic Republic!” alongside pro-monarchy slogans such as “Pahlavi will return!” Thousands flooded the streets in a final surge of visible dissent just before the government completely severed the country's communication lines.

“Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication,” Pahlavi said. “It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals,” as per Associated Press. 

He went on to call for European leaders to join U.S. President Donald Trump in promising to “hold the regime to account.” 

Pahlavi urged the international community to mobilise their "technical, financial, and diplomatic" power to break the government's communications blackout. He emphasized that global intervention is necessary to ensure the Iranian people's demands are heard, pleading with the world not to allow the regime to silence the protesters.

Pahlavi indicated his future strategy would depend on the public's response to his calls for protest. However, his ties to Israel, especially following the June conflict, remain a point of contention. While pro-monarchy slogans have surfaced, it is unclear if they signify genuine support for Pahlavi or a general nostalgia for pre-1979 Iran.

Condemns Internet blackout

Condemning the Iranian government for cutting all lines of communication, Pahlavi said, "Millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals. I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account. It is time for others, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence, and act more decisively in support of the people of Iran. I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen. Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced."

As per the Times of Israel, the protests in Iran came after a call by the country's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, for a mass demonstration, witnesses said.

How widespread are the protests

As of Friday, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the unrest has spanned all 31 of Iran’s provinces. In total, more than 390 individual protests have been documented nationwide, illustrating the massive and geographically diverse scale of the movement.

Why the demonstrations started?

The catastrophic devaluation of the rial has triggered a massive economic emergency in Iran, making daily survival a struggle. The prices of essential goods like meat and rice have surged, while the country grapples with a staggering 40% to 55% annual inflation rate.

The current wave of unrest began in late December 2025, sparked by Tehran's merchants who went on strike to protest a collapsing currency and skyrocketing costs. While the movement was ignited by economic desperation, including a 40% inflation rate and a record-low rial, it quickly evolved into a broader political uprising.

This surge in dissent draws on years of pent-up frustration, specifically the legacy of the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests. The memory of her death in police custody remains a powerful catalyst, transforming a "bread protest" into a nationwide challenge against the government's legitimacy.

Trump issue threats

U.S. President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged dueling threats earlier as protests roiled Iran. 

Trump initially wrote on his Truth Social platform, warning Iran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.” 

“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump wrote, without elaborating.

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