Shah's granddaughter reveals plan for Iran after the ayatollahs

2026-03-13 - 20:58

Nearly five decades after the Islamic Revolution that toppled Iran's monarchy, the name Pahlavi still stirs strong emotions among millions of Iranians. For some it represents an era of modernization and growth; for others, a complex chapter in the country's history. But for supporters of the Iranian opposition, especially in diaspora communities, it also symbolizes hope for a different future. At the center of this story today stands a younger member of the family: Princess Noor Pahlavi, the eldest daughter of Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and the granddaughter of Iran's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Noor, 34, who was born and raised in the US, has never set foot in Iran. Yet, she says, the country she has never seen with her own eyes has always been a central part of her identity. "My family, my father and grandmother in particular, have kept Iran's memory alive for us," she said in an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom. "Iran has never been an abstraction in our home, but our living, breathing homeland. I have spent every day of my life aware of the freedoms stolen from Iranians by a regime that has spent 47 years oppressing its own people. That is why I feel Iran's pain and carry its hope with me." Her words are not merely a personal reflection. They are part of a broader message the Pahlavi family seeks to convey on behalf of the Iranian people: Iran is not only a country currently ruled by the ayatollahs' regime of the Islamic Republic, which oppresses its citizens and spreads terrorism across the region and the world. It is also a nation with a rich past and the potential to become a a peaceful and prosperous state once more. Everything is in their hands. Protests in Iran. Photo: AP A family that became a symbol The Pahlavi dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1925 to 1979, occupies a central place in the debate over the character of modern Iran. It was founded by Reza Khan, a military officer who rose through the ranks of the Persian Cossack Brigade and in 1921 led a military coup in Tehran, becoming the dominant figure in the country amid the weakness of the Qajar dynasty, internal chaos and a sense of national humiliation over the heavy influence of Britain and Russia. In 1925, the Majles, Iran's parliament, deposed the absent Qajar king. Reza Khan was crowned Reza Shah Pahlavi, establishing the new dynasty. From the outset, the monarchy presented itself as a force determined to pull Iran out of backwardness, fragmentation and foreign dependence and transform it into a more secular and modern state. During Reza Shah's rule, sweeping reforms were implemented to rebuild state institutions. He promoted the creation of a secular education system, expanded the authority of civil courts at the expense of religious tribunals, worked to weaken the power of the clergy and pushed for the construction of national infrastructure including roads, railways and schools. Women's status also changed in several areas: educational opportunities expanded, the legal marriage age was raised and steps were taken to reduce some longstanding religious restrictions. At the same time, his rule also had a centralized and authoritarian character. Political parties were banned, labor unions were restricted and the press was censored. As a result, the tension that would later follow the Pahlavi dynasty was already visible: on the one hand a powerful state-led modernization drive, and on the other criticism over political repression and the concentration of power in the hands of the crown. In 1941, amid the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran during World War II, Reza Shah was forced to abdicate. His son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, ascended to the throne. His long reign, which lasted until the Islamic Revolution in 1979, proved even more complex. In its early years he ruled a country suffering from foreign occupation, inflation, political struggles and internal divisions, but he gradually consolidated his power. In the 1960s he launched the "White Revolution," a sweeping reform program designed to accelerate Iran's development. Its major components included land redistribution, expanded education, national service programs to promote literacy and healthcare in rural areas, greater participation of women in civic life and additional rights for women. According to accounts associated with the Pahlavi family, this was a period during which Iran sought to present itself as a renewed regional power: more Western in character, with a developing economy, modern state institutions and relative openness to the world. Yet these achievements also sparked fierce backlash. The shah's reforms threatened traditional power centers, particularly the Shiite religious establishment, which saw many of the reforms especially those concerning women's status, secular education and the reduction of clerical influence as a direct threat to the existing order. At the same time, rapid economic growth and development did not erase criticism of the regime's character, its repressive mechanisms and the gap between its vision of progress and the lack of genuine political openness. During the 1970s protests expanded, and the struggle between the palace and its religious and political opponents intensified. In 1978 the demonstrations turned into a nationwide wave. In January 1979, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi left Iran, officially for vacation and medical treatment but in reality after losing control of the country in the midst of the Islamic Revolution. Months later he was allowed to enter the US for treatment for cancer, a move that sparked fury in Tehran and soon led to the takeover of the US Embassy and the famous hostage crisis. On the ruins of the monarchy, the Islamic Republic was established under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a regime that has ruled Iran with an iron hand and continues to seek to export the Islamic Revolution to this day. Since the revolution, the Pahlavi family has lived in exile, but its name has not disappeared from the Iranian arena. The shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, was in the US when his family fled Iran. At 18 he underwent pilot training for the Iranian Air Force in Texas. In 1980, shortly after his father's death, he declared himself the crown prince of Iran. Over the years he has become one of the most recognizable figures in the Iranian opposition outside the country. He repeatedly stresses that his struggle is not meant "to restore the crown," but to allow the Iranian people to choose for themselves, through free elections in a democratic framework, their future system of government. In recent years, particularly following the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 and the waves of demonstrations that followed, he has tried to present himself as a unifying figure for a broad camp of regime opponents. He promotes a five-point strategy: maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic, maximum support for the Iranian people, encouragement of defections from the regime's institutions, organization of Iranian opposition forces inside and outside the country, and preparation of a plan to rebuild the state after the regime's fall. The moment Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran and the Pahlavi family was overthrown. Photo: AP Not only about the past When Princess Noor is asked which stories about pre-revolutionary Iran shaped her most, she repeatedly returns to conversations with family members. "When I hear stories about Iran from my father, mother and grandmother, it is clear to me that the Iran they remember looked very different from the one in the Islamic Republic's wake. I could tell that they were all carrying so much that they couldn't put into words, so I also often went looking on my own for glimpses into the past. The more I learned, the more I understood that Iran's greatness is not a fantasy." According to her, Iran's history before the revolution presents a very different picture from the one widely known today. "Pre-1979 Iran had one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Women gained the right to vote in 1963, before Switzerland. Literacy more than doubled in a generation. Tolerance of all lifestyles and religions was at an all-time high. The country's air force ranked among the most advanced in the world. Life expectancy rose from the mid-40s to over 60 years." She also refers to Iran's relations with Israel and the Jewish community. During the shah's era, Israel and Iran maintained quiet strategic cooperation that included security, intelligence and economic collaboration, even if most of the ties were kept out of the spotlight. "Iran and Israel maintained a positive, collaborative relationship, with Iran containing the highest population of Jews in the Middle East outside of Israel at the time," she said. She continues describing the country's progress during that era: "Iran was a country moving forward on a trajectory that few nations in the region had matched." Still, she stresses that recalling these stories is not only about reconstructing the past with all its complexities. "This is not just about remembering the past, but building a better future. Young people in Iran want to live in a modern, culturally rich and vibrant country, at peace with its neighbors." Asked to describe the Iran she dreams of visiting one day for the first time, Noor paints an almost utopian vision. "I imagine an Iran where people are working together, respecting differences of opinion, and keeping their eyes on the success of their country and its democratic process. I imagine the Iran my father has spent his life fighting for. A nation at peace with its neighbors, in partnership with the world, where women are no longer told they are less than, where ethnic and cultural minorities are safe, where young people are not forced to choose between living in unlivable conditions or dying for a better future. I want to see an Iran where every citizen has a stake in the country's progress, where we embrace each other's differences and move forward as a team. That Iran is within reach." In recent years, and especially following the massive protest wave triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, opposition figures as well as officials in the US and Israel have argued that the Islamic Republic is facing unprecedented weakness. Princess Pahlavi shares that view. "This regime has lost the support of the people, it is isolated regionally, its proxies have been heavily weakened," she said, referring to Iran's terrorist proxies Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, "and it is increasingly fragmented." According to her, the regime now relies primarily on force. "It is dependent on force rather than consent, and history tells us that when a regime reaches this stage, repression becomes its greatest weakness. No system can survive when its people fear death less than they fear life under their government." Israeli flags alongside Iran's flag and images of the exiled shah at a protest in Paris. Photo: EPA Uniting the opposition One of the central criticisms directed at the Iranian opposition is its political fragmentation. Over the years it has included many groups: republicans, monarchists, leftists, liberals and ethnic minority organizations. Pahlavi rejects that claim. "The people of Iran are actually very united," she said. "They have called on my father to lead in their millions." According to her, a major conference held in Munich in 2025 succeeded in bringing together a wide range of political factions. "At the 2025 Munich National Cooperation Conference that my father hosted, the democratic opposition, which included left and right, republican and monarchist, all ethnic groups, came together and agreed on a common agenda for action." She added that these efforts are continuing. "In the last few weeks alone, he has met with, among others, representatives of Iran's various cultures, as well as secular leftists and liberals from across the political spectrum, who have now declared their support for him to lead the transitional period." She said the agreement among the various groups rests on four central principles: Iran's territorial integrity, individual freedoms and civil equality, separation of religion and state, and the Iranian people's right to choose their own future democratic government. "This is not about replacing one rigid system with another. It is about creating space for pluralism, where different beliefs, identities, and visions of the future can coexist peacefully. Iran's painful history under theocracy and dictatorship is precisely what will make its people the fiercest defenders of democratic institutions. A nation that has lived through that kind of darkness does not take freedom for granted." War and fear of the regime Against the backdrop of the current round of fighting involving the US and Israel in operations dubbed "Epic Fury" or "Roar of the Lion," I asked Pahlavi how Iranians themselves perceive the situation. According to her, many fear the regime more than the war. "Years ago, my grandfather warned that if a nation allows its freedoms to slip away, the cost of reclaiming them one day will be very high. Tragically, the Iranian people have already paid an enormous price," she said. "Iranians know what repression and violence look like. For decades they have lived with unjustified imprisonment, executions, and the murder of their loved ones. Many have told me that they fear the regime far more than any external strike. They know they are more likely to be harmed by the regime's brutality than by the forces now confronting it." She says the greatest fear among Iranians today is that the war will end while the regime remains in power. "Every day, I am reminded to share that their greatest fear at the moment is the war ending with the regime and the IRGC staying in power." She also claims many Iranians support strikes against the regime. "Iranians support targeted military action against the IRGC and its repressive apparatus. Videos coming from inside Iran show families celebrating the strikes, expressing a sense of justice for their loved ones." At the same time, she emphasizes that Iranians deeply love their country. "At the same time, Iranians love their country deeply. The safety of civilians and the protection of Iran's vital national infrastructure must remain a priority," she said, referring in part to reports about Israeli strikes on fuel facilities in the country. "Iran is a great civilization, and one day its people will be responsible for restoring what decades of misrule have damaged." Strikes across Tehran. Photo: AP "We are ready" In recent years Reza Pahlavi and his team have been working on a comprehensive plan to rebuild Iran after the fall of the regime. The plan is called the Iran Prosperity Project and aims to present a roadmap for rebuilding the country after the Islamic Republic, from the days immediately following the regime's collapse to the establishment of a democratically elected government. The plan outlines a transition period beginning with an emergency phase lasting about six months. During that time transitional institutions would govern the country: a temporary government, a transitional parliament and an interim judiciary. Afterward, a referendum would be held in which the public would decide whether Iran should become a republic or a constitutional monarchy. An assembly would then be elected to draft a new constitution, followed by general elections. According to Princess Noor, the plan is meant to prevent chaos after the fall of an authoritarian regime. "The most important step is to ensure that the world supports the Iranian people, their Lion and Sun revolution and my father as the leader of the transition," she said. "This movement has a credible and unifying framework for change, because when authoritarian systems collapse without such a framework the risks grow. That is why we developed the Iran Prosperity Project. It lays out a comprehensive roadmap from the first 180 days after the regime's collapse to the transition toward democracy and a free economy." Future ties with Israel One of the most intriguing questions concerns relations between Israel and Iran. Following the revolution, the Islamic Republic became one of the Jewish state's most bitter enemies, openly calling for Israel's destruction and attempting to create a "ring of fire" around it through its proxies. Could that relationship change in the future? "Absolutely," Pahlavi said without hesitation. "A democratic Iran would fundamentally change relationships across the entire Middle East, making peace between Iran, its Arab neighbors, Israel, and the United States not only possible but durable." She also describes a future peace initiative. "My father's vision, and the work his team has already begun, includes what we call the 'Cyrus Accords'," she said, referring to the sixth-century BCE Persian king Cyrus the Great, who allowed Jews to return from Babylon to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. "This is a future peace and cooperation agreement between Israel and a free, democratic Iran, and other countries in the region." According to her, discussions with Israeli experts have already taken place. "A delegation of economists and environmental experts has already met with Israeli officials and scientists to address Iran's water crisis, electricity shortages, and economic collapse under the regime." She argues that the fall of the ayatollahs' regime would transform the region. "A free Iran will harbor constructive partnerships with its neighbors, not export terror to them. That future is within reach" At the end of the interview, Pahlavi stressed that such a future is not only an Iranian interest and called for global support. "Support the transition plan, and stand with Iranians as they reclaim their place in the free world. Supporting a free Iran is not a favor to Iranians, but a strategic investment in global security and stability. The day after the regime falls, we all become active participants in building this start-up nation,'" she said firmly. "And we are ready."