Back to the Future – Iran at a Crossroad: The Pahlavi Question
By K. E. Mehrfar January 1st 2026
It has been there since 1979 & was recently re-ignited on December 7th at the funeral ceremony of the late Dr. Khosro Alikordi, a lawyer for Human Rights in Sabzevar, Iran. He was one of the many Iranians who gave their lives for freedom & democracy since 1979 when Islamic revolution brought Islamic Republic to Iran.
For decades during the late Shah, Iran was one of the strongest ally of the United States in the middle east keeping the balance of power & in fact a powerful force & a heavy regional weight against the influence of Soviet Union & expansion of Communism. And now after close to half century, as of this writing, Iran stands at a precarious moment. Years of economic stagnation, brutal crackdowns on dissent, & the regime’s faltering legitimacy have created a pressure cooker of discontent.
Amid this turbulence, Reza Pahlavi—son of the late Shah of Iran—has emerged as the focal point for opposition voices, presenting himself not as a would-be monarch but as a unifying figure for democratic transition.
The appeal is understandable. In a land that gave the world, the very first declaration of Human Rights, Pahlavi speaks the language of Human Rights, pluralism & inclusion, promising Iranians a break from both clerical authoritarianism & revolutionary chaos. For many in the diaspora & large population inside Iran, he represents continuity with a pre-Islamic revolutionary identity, a nostalgia for stability before 1979, however contested that history may be.
Yet some obstacles are still there. Iran’s opposition some of them fake by plan through infiltration of the 5th columns pretending to be opposition to certain degree remains fragmented, though some promising progress has been made recently. Some who favor a republic of Iran reject monarchy in any form, even symbolic. A small faction of some ethnic minorities such as Turks, Arabs, etc. asking for some form of autonomy. And the Islamic Republic, seriously weakened by the rise of the People but not broken yet, still has ideological influence on Islamic religious groups, branding any People’s up-rising as an American Imperialism. In addition, some security forces are still loyal to Islamic Regime even though news recently show loyalty is decreasing & in some cases falling apart.
However, there is a powerful Nationalism deeply rooted in millenniums of Iran’s history. This new Nationalism is a true & genuine Nationalism which is fully inclusive with a true & genuine respect for all other Nations & their interest. Loving one’s Country is not equal to dislike of other Countries, in fact exactly the opposite. This true & genuine Nationalism is extremely strong in Iran creating a powerful unity among all Iranians.
Iran with arguably 7000 years of culture & traditions, has been one of the major cradles of Civilizations from ancient times. The founder of Iran, Cyrus the Great ruled close to half of the world with respect & dignity for all nations under his leadership. He created the very first declaration of Human Rights more than 2500 years ago indicating that all men are created equal. He did that not just in “Good Words” but also in “Good Deeds” when he set the slaves & the Jews free. It inspired America’s founding fathers, specially Thomas Jefferson in authoring the U.S. constitution, the document of a new nation identification, a truly masterpiece that we will be celebrating its 250th birthday this year. Iran has given the world famous arts & poetry by Ferdowsi & Hafiz, Saadi, Khayyam & Rumi & many more. Iran has given several notable scientists from Borzoyeh & Sina; arguably the fathers of medicine to Kharazmi & Razi in mathematics & alchemy & many many more including the late Maryam Mirzakhani of Stanford & the late Firooz Naderi of NASA & many many more.
So the question isn’t whether Iranians deserve better—they clearly do. It’s whether Prince Reza Pahlavi can bridge Iran’s fractures. The indications per his clearly defined plan, including goal & objectives, the high level step by step processes to get there & the Team to implement it are all showing that he is capable to do this historical task if all goes by plan.
Above all, in a unifying message Iranians from all backgrounds & ethnicity in many cities, towns & villages in Iran are asking for him. However, a post-Islamic Republic Iran will be shaped less by any single leader than by whether Iranians can forge a genuine social contract: one that learns from 1979’s authoritarianism of a theocracy.
So it is becoming evident that the next chapter of Iranian history won’t be written in exile. It will be written in the streets of Tehran & many other big cities & small towns & tiny villages, by a brave & knowledgeable generation that remembers neither the late Shah nor Islamic revolution—only the desire for dignity, prosperity, freedom & inclusion in the world body of the family of Nations.
It is in the best interest of all democratic nations to support the People of Iran for a free & democratic Iran.
Dr. Khosro Esfandiar Mehrfar lives in Newport Beach, California
