United Press International,
WASHINGTON: At a time when rumors of regime change and pre-emptive strikes against Iran are once more the talk of the town in the nation's capital, one man is cautioning against any knee-jerk reaction that might further empower the ruling mullahs in Tehran.
While not openly supporting any one particular opposition group, Reza Pahlavi of Iran, the son of the late and the last shah to sit on the Peacock Throne, is hoping to revive the relevancy of Iran's imperial family. He personally would like to become more involved in Iranian politics, but he stresses, the choice must be that of the people of Iran.
Whether Iran remains a republic or becomes a constitutional monarchy should be left to the people to decide. Exactly what Pahlavi's role in a future Iran might be, he is not quite sure. One thing he is sure of, however, is he wants to remove the “yoke of the clerical regime,” on his people.
One of the shortcomings of the Iranian opposition, the young shah correctly pointed out, is that the various parties remain too divided and are largely unknown, even to many Iranians. The exception is the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or the MeK, whose leaders Miriam and Massoud Rajavi are very publicity conscious. The rest of Iran's resistance leaders are practically never heard of.
Reza's father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was forced to leave Iran in 1979 as the Islamic Revolution, propelled by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, broke out, placing the country under the control of the clergy. With the mullahs gaining ground, the monarchy was forced to flee. The shah died soon after his exile in Egypt, with brief stops in Panama and the United States. He was killed by cancer, but most probably also by a broken spirit longing for a country and a people he was forced to abandon.
Warning the world about Iran's desires to pursue its nuclear program, the young Pahlavi told United Press International that the West had basically a three-year window of opportunity before the Islamic republic acquired the nuclear bomb.
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Politics & Policies: What to do with Iran
