Exiled Reza Pahlavi lacks domestic base as protests convulse Iran

Time reports that for 12 days protests fuelled by a deepening economic crisis have convulsed Iran, with demonstrators in Tehran and smaller cities such as Abadan and the Kurdish-majority Malekshahi. Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed shah, has begun issuing statements and interviews calling for coordinated demonstrations, promising a smooth transition and saying he is ready to lead.

The coverage notes a severe crackdown: Amnesty International estimates at least 28 protesters have been killed in eight provinces, the government has blocked internet access and doubled down on repressive measures, and in the past two weeks security forces have killed scores, arrested more than 2,000 people and reportedly imported Iraqi Shia militias to supplement security.

The article says Pahlavi has no meaningful organization inside Iran, little funding, and no ground force; a 2009 Brookings Institution assessment found he lacked an "organized following," and claims that 50,000 officials have registered to defect are described as unverifiable and implausible.

Key Topics

World, Reza Pahlavi, Iran, Tehran, Ali Khamenei, Amnesty International