# The Reluctant Prince: Can Reza Pahlavi Lead Iran’s Future? Q&A with Eli Lake

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-history-7169277/the-reluctant-prince-can-reza-pahlavi-lead-iran-s-future-q-a-with-eli-lake
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-history-7169277/the-reluctant-prince-can-reza-pahlavi-lead-iran-s-future-q-a-with-eli-lake.md
Podcast: [Breaking History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-history-7169277)
Published: 2026-02-10T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/VOdNgcECFk0maZgOJbmx/traffic.megaphone.fm/CBS4515473332.mp3?updated=1770692118
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/VOdNgcECFk0maZgOJbmx/traffic.megaphone.fm/CBS4515473332.mp3?updated=1770692118
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/breaking-history-7169277/episodes/the-reluctant-prince-can-reza-pahlavi-lead-iran-s-future-q-a-with-eli-lake
Duration seconds: 2857

## Resource

As Iran’s regime faces mounting internal pressure, one name keeps resurfacing: Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah. But is he a viable future leader, or simply the most recognizable symbol of a free Iran? In this conversation, host Eli Lake and producer Poppy Damon unpack the strange political moment Pahlavi finds himself in—popular with many Iranians, yet viewed skeptically by parts of the opposition and treated cautiously by Washington. Can he unite the stakeholders to bring about democracy? Or is he likely to get in the way of a future without monarchs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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