Who is Reza Pahlavi? The exiled prince urging Iranians to ‘seize cities’

Al JazeeraCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by Mohammad MansourJanuary 12, 2026 at 08:14 AM

AI Summary

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Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, has shifted from advocating civil disobedience to urging Iranians to seize city centers. Pahlavi, who has lived in exile in the US for over 40 years, previously promoted nonviolent resistance and a secular democracy. Recently, he called on Iranians to "seize city centres" and prepare for his imminent return, prompting accusations of "terrorism" from Iranian state media. He also urged workers in key sectors to launch nationwide strikes and called on security forces to defect. Pahlavi, born in Tehran in 1960, was named crown prince at age seven but left Iran for fighter pilot training in the US just before the 1979 revolution.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Reese Air Force Base 30% Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum 30% Jerusalem 30% University of Southern California 30% Tehran ×240% Iran-Iraq War 40% Gila Gamliel 40% Yasmine Pahlavi 40% United States ×260% Iran ×480% Reza Pahlavi ×790%

Keywords

reza pahlavi 100% iran 90% iranian opposition 80% seize city centres 80% exile 70% shah 60% terrorist attacks 60% nonviolent resistance 50% political system 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral

Score: -0.10

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Iran

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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reza pahlavi iran iranian opposition seize city centres exile shah terrorist attacks nonviolent resistance political system

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