Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran

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Pretender
Reza Pahlavi
Born October 31, 1960 (1960-10-31) (age 47)
Tehran, Iran
Title(s) Reza, Shah of Iran (according to supporters)
Crown Prince of Iran
Throne(s) claimed Iran
Pretend from July 20, 1980 – current
Monarchy abolished
Last monarch HIM Mohammad, Shah of Iran
Connection with Son
Royal House House of Pahlavi
Father HIM Mohammad, Shah of Iran
Mother Empress Farah Pahlavi
Spouse Yasmine Pahlavi
Children Princess Noor
Princess Iman
Princess Farah

Reza Pahlavi, former Crown Prince of Iran (Persian: رضا پهلوی, born October 31, 1960) is the eldest son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his Empress Consort, Farah Diba.

He succeeded his father as Head of the House of the Pahlavi dynasty[1] and is currently the successor to the former Pahlavi throne of Iran. As such he is referred to by supporters as His Imperial Majesty Reza Shah II, though he does not use this style himself.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

In 1978, Pahlavi moved to the United States to complete his higher education. He was trained as a jet fighter pilot at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas, and attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, before graduating with a degree in political science from the University of Southern California. He has not returned to Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

After the revolution, Reza Pahlavi lived in exile in Morocco and Egypt until 1984, when he settled in the United States.

In 2004, Reza Pahlavi was named as the "unofficial godfather"[2] of Princess Louise of Belgium the eighth granddaughter of King Albert II of Belgium. The decision to choose him was criticized by the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic.[3]

[edit] Family

He lives in Potomac, Maryland, with his wife, the former Yasmine Etemad Amini, and their three daughters: Noor (born April 3, 1992), Iman (born September 12, 1993), and Farah (born January 17, 2004).

Pahlavi's siblings include Farahnaz Pahlavi (March 12, 1963), a brother Ali Reza Pahlavi (April 28, 1966), as well as a half-sister, Shahnaz Pahlavi (October 27, 1940). His youngest sister, Leila, died of a drug overdose in 2001, as the result of long depression.

Official CoA & Flag of the Crown Prince
Official CoA & Flag of the Crown Prince

[edit] Monarchy

The Iranian monarchy was overthrown after the revolution of 1979 and replaced by an Islamic republic. Although the most prominent royals now live in exile, some Iranians still regard Pahlavi as the current Shah of Iran. After the death of his father, Mohammad Reza Shah, Pahlavi symbolically declared himself Shahanshah at the age of 21, but now his press releases refer to him as either "Reza Pahlavi" or "the former Crown Prince".

[edit] Offer to fight during the Iran-Iraq War

In 1980, at the start of the Iran-Iraq War, Pahlavi, a fighter pilot, wrote to General Velayatollah Felahie, Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, offering to fight in the air force for Iran in the war. The offer was rebuffed.[4]

[edit] Politics

Iranian Imperial Family

Reza Pahlavi has used his high profile status as an Iranian abroad to campaign politically for human rights, democracy, and unity among Iranians in Iran and outside it. On his website he calls for a separation of religion and state in Iran and for free and fair elections "for all freedom-loving individuals and political ideologies". He exhorts all groups dedicated to a democratic agenda to work together for a democratic and secular Iranian government.

Pahlavi has used media appearances to urge Iran's theocratic government to accept a referendum that used independently verifiable international standards and observation mechanisms.[5][6][7] He has also urged Iranians to engage in a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience, starting with non-participation in elections of the Islamic republic (elections he views as "undemocratic"), followed by peaceful demonstrations and strikes. He is, however, an outspoken opponent of any foreign military intervention for regime change in Iran,[8] believing that the people of Iran alone have the power to bring about change in their governmental system and society.

[edit] Human rights

On August 5, 2005, Pahlavi wrote to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, to criticise the decision "not to call for a Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran during the last meeting of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights."[9] In the letter, he wrote:

Many if not all the political prisoners in Iran are brutalized and held in solitary confinement in spite of the numerous specific recommendations of the United Nations to stop and put an end to such inhuman practices. Unfortunately the Islamic Republic of Iran has so far ignored these recommendations as well as all the urgent appeals made by international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Despite the threats, human rights activists in Iran continue to fight for their freedom and human rights at the risk of imprisonment, torture, disappearance and death. I salute their courage and dedication.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Publications

  • Reza Pahlavi, Gozashteh va Ayandeh, London: Kayham Publishing, 2000.[12]

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e www.4dw.nwet.
  2. ^ The Roman Catholic Church, the Church of the child being baptized, does not accept non-Catholics as godparents, given the religious nature of the role, so Pahlavi's role was downgraded to unofficial, not formal.
  3. ^ AFP report 6 September 2004
  4. ^ Middle East News
  5. ^ BBC Radio
  6. ^ Reza Pahlavi interview
  7. ^ Reza Pahlavi interview
  8. ^ Reza Pahlavi interview
  9. ^ Letter to Kofi Annan
  10. ^[dead link] http://www.king-kigeli.com/monarchy.html
  11. ^[dead link] http://www.royalrwanda.com/Royal_Orders.html
  12. ^ Reza Pahlavi´s Web site

[edit] External links

Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran
Born: 31 October 1960
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Mohammad Rez̤ā Pahlavī		 — TITULAR —
Shah of Iran
27 July 1980 – present
Reason for succession failure:
Monarchy abolished in 1979		 Incumbent
Designated heir:
Prince Ali-Rez̤ā Pahlavī II