Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi accepts Coalition invitation to visit Australia

Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has accepted a Coalition invitation to visit Australia, in what the opposition says is a response “to Iranian-Australians who want their voices heard”.

Mr Pahlavi is the son of Iran’s late autocratic shah – a pro-West monarch whose reign was defined by brutal repression and rapid modernisation.

The shah and his family fled the country in 1979 amid mass demonstrations spurred by severe economic and religious tensions.

That uprising birthed the current Islamist regime, which has enforced strict Islamic laws and killed tens of thousands of protesters while masterminding violence abroad, including in Australia.

Mr Pahlavi, now living in the US, has become a prominent opposition voice calling for secular, democratic reforms in his home country.

“For decades, the Iranian people have suffered under a brutal terrorist regime that represses its own citizens, exports terror abroad and denies its people basic freedoms,” opposition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O’Brien said on Thursday.

“Many Iranian-Australians look to Mr Pahlavi as an important voice of hope for a different future and the Coalition believes those calls for engagement deserve to be heard.”

He added that it was “not for Australia to determine who should lead Iran or what form its future government should take”.

“But we should be prepared to listen to credible voices advocating for a peaceful and democratic alternative to the regime in Tehran.”

A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia “stands with all Iranians, across all segments of society, in their fight against oppression”.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has been a destabilising force in the world – through its nuclear program, support for armed proxies, and brutal acts of violence and intimidation both at home and abroad,” they said.

While Mr Pahlavi is a popular figure outside Iran, not all opposition groups have rallied around him and his father’s reign still lives in the memory of many inside Iran.

Vice president of the Australian Iranian Community Alliance Suren Edgar noted the “different views about Iran’s political future” but said Mr Pahlavi “is unquestionably one of the most prominent and internationally recognised figures in the Iranian opposition” and welcomed the former royal’s future visit.

“He has significant support among Iranians, including many who see him as a potential leader during a transition from the Islamic Republic to a secular and democratic system,” Mr Edgar told NewsWire.