Reza Pahlavi: 5 things to know about the man who wants to be Iran’s next leader

3. He has consistently argued that Iran’s future should be secular and democratic 

Pahlavi has called for the separation of religion from the state and for free and fair elections under a new constitutional framework. In January, he said during a press breifing that the country should be guided through an interim period followed by the election of a constitutional assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution, which would then be put to a national referendum.

He has repeatedly indicated that he would not seek an automatic restoration of the monarchy and has framed his role as facilitating a political transition shaped by the will of the Iranian people. In public remarks, he has presented the Iranian public as the central force for change and has urged Western governments to support civil resistance inside the country rather than move directly from diplomacy to military conflict.

He has promised that a future system would guarantee political freedoms and elections, positioning himself as a leading figure within Iran’s fragmented opposition movement, as many analysts say few Iranians favor bringing back royal rule, The Wall Street Journal reports.