Reza Pahlavi’s Platform — A Roadmap to Neo-fascist Rule

As the January uprising in Iran intensified, attempts emerged on social media and in some media outlets outside Iran to portray Reza Pahlavi as the "leader of the uprising." This dynamic 2026was accompanied by a vast public relations campaign centered on him.

However, this endeavor is not without controversy. Many observers, researchers, and political actors express serious doubts about Reza Pahlavi's legitimacy and credibility, as well as about the relevance of the option of a return—explicit or implicit—to the former monarchical system in Iran. These reservations are all the more pronounced given that this prospect appears to contradict the deep aspirations of contemporary Iranian society, and particularly those of the ethnic and national minorities, who represent nearly half of the country's population.

Those who support this option nevertheless argue that Reza Pahlavi is not seeking to restore the monarchy and that the political project he advocates is democratic in nature. This argument deserves rigorous examination, beyond slogans and image campaigns.

It is precisely with this in mind that we felt it necessary to draw attention to the analysis below. For upon closer examination, the programmatic document presented by Reza Pahlavi reveals profound contradictions, both institutional and political, and suggests, under the guise of democratic rhetoric, the possible outlines of a new form of authoritarianism in Iran.

In a context marked by more than a century of struggles against successive forms of absolute power—monarchical and then theocratic—the question of the political alternative cannot be addressed lightly. It demands a serious evaluation of the proposed projects, their internal coherence, their genuine social grounding, and their capacity to meet the democratic, pluralistic, and inclusive demands of the Iranian people.

Reza Pahlavi's Platform — A Roadmap to Neo-fascist Rule - The Free Iran Scholars Network