The Man Who Would Be King -- of Iran
Nov. 14 -- Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah of Iran, was destined to succeed his father on Iran's Peacock Throne and inherit his massive fortune. Now he lives a modest life in suburban Maryland, but still dreams of going back to serve his country — even as "a simple citizen."
Pahlavi, 42, says the Islamist regime that toppled his father has deprived the Iranian people of freedom and democracy — ideals he has come to respect in the nearly 20 years he has lived in the United States. In speeches and newspaper articles, he argues that secular democracy would offer Iranians a better choice than the theocracy under which they live now.
"We cannot have true democracy unless there is separation of church from state," he told ABCNEWS' Barbara Walters in an interview for 20/20.
Signs of Impending Change
Pahlavi said recent events in Iran have given him hope. Celebrations following World Cup soccer matches have turned political, with thousands of young people — including women — taking to the streets, some shouting anti-government political slogans, others violating Iran's laws by throwing off their headscarves or dancing.
Pahlavi, who says his speeches and articles reach Iran via satellite and his Web site, believes the Iranian people, and even some officials within the regime, are ready for a change.
He attributes the discontent within Iran to two things: lack of political freedom and lack of economic opportunity. Noting that half of Iran's 66 million people live below the poverty line, he says: "The people are ready to explode. They are looking for a way out of this mess."
Iran's moderate president, Mohammed Khatami, has launched political reforms and has made apparent overtures to the United States and the West. But Pahlavi believes Khatami is just "a powerless figurehead," and that real power lies in the hands of the supreme leader, conservative cleric Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"It doesn't matter what kind of a smiling face they put on," said Pahlavi. "The problem is that this system is incapable of reforming. The problem is within the law and the nature of the regime itself."
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