"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 Maria Corina Machado, the US president is being equally cautious about Pahlavi, apparently fearing the US may end up entangled in a civil war."
"The lack of a clear alternative leadership or even a single set of political demands by the protesters, apart from ending corruption, repression and inflation, has been a boon to Pahlavi since he at least has name recognition and has nurtured support for the monarchy for decades. Others inside Iran capable of leading the country to a secular future, such as Narges Mohammadi and Mostafa Tajzadeh, have been locked in jail sporadically for years."
Large street protests in Iran have been portrayed by Reza Pahlavi's supporters as a direct response to his call and a referendum on his leadership, yet no clear alternative leadership has emerged. Many Iranians remain wary of a return to monarchy despite desire to end clerical rule. International actors, including Donald Trump, have withheld endorsement, seemingly wary of entanglement. Protesters lack a single set of political demands beyond ending corruption, repression and inflation, which has advantaged Pahlavi due to name recognition while prominent secular figures remain jailed.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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