As of January 11, 2026, Iran is gripped by its most significant wave of anti-government protests in years. What began in late December 2025 as demonstrations against crippling inflation, currency collapse, and widespread economic hardship has rapidly transformed into a broad-based movement calling for the complete overthrow of the Islamic Republic. Across major cities, including Tehran, crowds have taken to the streets chanting “Death to the dictator,” “Death to Khamenei,” and, strikingly, “Long live the Shah” and “Pahlavi will return”—reviving symbols and slogans associated with the pre-1979 monarchy.
At the center of this renewed royalist sentiment stands Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Crown Prince of Iran, whose name and image have once again become potent rallying points for many protesters.
From Crown Prince to Exile
Born on October 31, 1960, in Tehran, Reza Pahlavi is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s last Shah, and Empress Farah Pahlavi. Designated as Crown Prince in 1967, he was raised and educated with the expectation of eventually assuming the throne. In his late teens, he trained as a fighter pilot and, in 1978, left Iran at the age of 17 to attend U.S. Air Force flight training in Texas. Only months later, the Islamic Revolution of 1979 forced his family into permanent exile.
Following the death of his father in Cairo in 1980, Reza Pahlavi, then 20 years old, proclaimed himself Shah in exile, taking the title Reza Shah II. For more than four decades, he has lived primarily in the United States, near Washington, D.C., where he completed a degree in political science and married Yasmine Etemad-Amini in 1986. The couple has three daughters.
Throughout his years in exile, Pahlavi has consistently positioned himself as an advocate for a secular, democratic Iran. He champions the separation of religion and state, free and fair elections, respect for human rights, and the right of the Iranian people to determine their future political system through a referendum. While he has expressed a personal preference for a merit-based republican system over a restored monarchy, he has never ruled out any form of government that reflects the genuine will of the people.
The Phoenix Project and Calls for Unity
Over the years, Reza Pahlavi has worked to unite Iran’s fragmented opposition through initiatives such as the Phoenix Project, which seeks to bridge ideological divides among dissidents inside and outside the country. He has repeatedly called for the peaceful collapse of the current regime through sustained civil disobedience, strikes, and mass mobilization, while urging international support for the Iranian people’s struggle.
The Turning Point: Protests of 2025–2026
The current unrest began as economic protests but quickly escalated into open rebellion against the entire clerical establishment. The movement reached a dramatic new phase in early January 2026, when Pahlavi used social media to issue direct calls for coordinated nationwide action.
Despite a sweeping internet and mobile communications blackout imposed by the authorities, thousands of Iranians responded to his appeals. On the evenings of January 8 and 9, protesters across the country synchronized chants against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at 8 p.m. local time. In Tehran and other cities, demonstrators raised the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag, set fires, clashed with security forces, and occupied public spaces in defiance of the regime’s threats.
Pahlavi has since escalated his rhetoric, declaring that the Islamic Republic is in the process of collapsing due to internal weakness and a shortage of loyal forces. He has urged protesters to seize and hold city centers, appealed directly to rank-and-file security personnel to defect, and promised that he will return to Iran “soon.” He has also called on the international community—including U.S. President Donald Trump—to provide moral and material support to the Iranian people.
Divided Reactions and Lingering Questions
While the resurgence of pro-Pahlavi slogans has electrified some segments of the opposition, support for the exiled prince remains far from universal. Critics point to his past contacts with Israel—particularly following the 2025 Iran-Israel conflict—as evidence that he is out of touch with the prevailing mood inside Iran. Others question whether many Iranians genuinely desire the restoration of monarchy or are simply using royalist symbols as the most readily available expression of anti-regime sentiment.
Regardless of these debates, the scale and intensity of the current protests have placed unprecedented pressure on the Islamic Republic. Human rights organizations have reported dozens—possibly hundreds—of deaths, widespread arrests, and severe crackdowns, with fears mounting of a potential massacre under the ongoing communications blackout.
As of January 11, 2026, the situation remains highly volatile. Demonstrations continue despite warnings from Supreme Leader Khamenei, and Reza Pahlavi has emerged as one of the most visible and symbolically powerful figures in the opposition’s struggle for change. Whether his renewed prominence will translate into lasting political momentum or prove to be a fleeting moment in Iran’s long history of resistance remains to be seen.
The coming days and weeks will likely determine whether the current wave of protests marks the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic—or yet another chapter in its turbulent survival.
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