Despite significant support for the shah, Iranian society may be looking for any ‘escape from a dead end’
Supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s deposed shah, were claiming the crowds out in the streets of Iran were a direct response to his call to action. They described it as a referendum on his leadership and that the response showed he had won.
Yet the issue of an alternative leadership for Iran remains unresolved. Many Iranians, eager to end the 47-year-long rule of the clerics, still view a return to monarchical rule with suspicion.
On the international stage, Donald Trump has yet to endorse Pahlavi.
Pahlavi’s supporters, including on the foreign satellite channels, highlight the many calls for the return of the shah being heard in the crowds. However, just as Trump did not rush to back the candidacy of the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the US president is being equally cautious about Pahlavi, apparently fearing the US may end up entangled in a civil war.
