Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran Speaks Out on Current Crisis

The son of the former deposed, deceased Shah of Iran appeared at the National Press Club today reviewing the events of the past several days regarding his country. He pronounces his encouragement and alliance with the protestors for freedom.

Crown Prince Pahlavi is the 45-year-old son of the late Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and his wife Empress Farah. The elder of the Shah’s three children, he now joins the chorus of voices denouncing the religious leaders and Presidency of Ahmadinejad. He spoke before reporters at the National Press Club, giving his opinion about present events. He talked about how the international press has been restricted from covering events in Iran and praised the social media and interactive sites where ordinary people have shared information. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former shah of Iran, died of cancer while in exile in Egypt in 1980. He received treatment for his cancer in the United States. His had been a rocky rule for many years, after he attained the throne in 1941 after his father’s abdication under pressure of British and Soviet troops. He was told to act as a constitutional monarch but managed to secure greater powers than promised, remaining close ties with Britain and the United States. In the early 1950’s he was forced out of Iran by an Iranian nationalist by the name of Mohammad Mosaddeq, but returned to the throne with the help of British and U.S. intelligence agents . Although the Shah initiated what was called a “White Revolution” that included land reform, voting rights for women and the reduction of illiteracy, Islamic leaders were critical of these changes, seeing them as moving Iran to close to Westernization. Khamenei, now the Supreme Ruler of Iran and the Ayatollah, in the early 1960’s became a vociferous critic of the Shah’s regime and was consequently exiled, living on the border in Iraq where he could interact with supporters. The Shah continued to maintain what was described as a very lavish lifestyle, continuing to move the country from strict Islamic practices, which brought religious discontent. He responded with brutal police suppression, with his security forces killing hundreds of people and suppressing severely the rights of those who opposed him, which brought serious protests and demonstrations throughout Iran, leading to his exile. The protests of 1978 have been compared with the demonstrations against the recent Presidential election and the major contest between former President Ahmadinejad, who claimed victory, and his rival, Mousavi, the leader of the opposition whom others have said really had the most votes. The protests brought to power Khamenei who brought strict Islamic law into Iran. That law is now being challenged with the present protest following the recent election. When the shah traveled to several countries before entering the United States in October 1979 for medical treatment of his cancer, militants in Iran, angry with what they saw as U.S. interference, stormed the U.S. embassy in Iran, taking 52 hostages in exchange for the return of the shah. This led to a crisis where hostages were held for 444 days, an event that caused disapproval of Jimmy Carter’s management of the events. The shah died one year later in Egypt. Now the Shah’s son Reza Pahlavi makes his case about the crisis publicly, even as his father before him was criticized for being repressive. He now denounces similar tactics, while Iranians examine his words critically. While in Paris the 45-year-old Pahlavi urged Iranians not to participate in the Presidential elections, declaring the outcome would not bring Iran closer to representative democracy. Viewers can decide for themselves, after watching this video, their impression of the Crown Prince and his interests as events continue to unfold dramatically in the country of his birth.