In Search of a Throne.(exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi)(Brief Article)

Prince Reza Pahlavi was 19 when islamic clerics overthrew his late father, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. He has lived quietly in exile, working within the Iranian diaspora. But lately he has stepped back onto the public stage. Iran is in crisis, he believes. It must remake itself into a secular state, as it was before the 1979 revolution. It is an appeal he makes to a new generation of revolutionaries--the nation's youth--delivered via the Web at www.rezapahlavi.org. The cleric often touted as a "moderate," President Mohammed Khatami, triumphed in last week's elections with more than 75 percent of the vote. Pahlavi derides the ballot as a "fraud," a pretense of democracy that serves only to conceal repression. He spoke with NEWSWEEK editors in New York.

NEWSWEEK: You have no regard for Khatami as a reformer?

PAHLAVI: He does not seek to end the Islamic republic. He wants to preserve it. Faced with conflict, he sides with the regime. Khatami talks about "liberalization" because Iran's youth, women in particular, expect it. But he has not implemented it. The problem is with the regime itself and the Constitution. If a candidate has the slightest criticism, they are not allowed on the ballot. The election is a farce.

But is it realistic to speak of revolution?

Understand what it means to be under a regime that has stopped at nothing to repress opinion. Two years ago disenchanted youth were frustrated by Khatami's failure to implement any of his campaign promises. The regime's response was to attack universities and throw students out the windows. When I left Iran in the summer of 1978, few signs of mass reaction were palpable. Yet in less than six months we saw what happened. Where Iran is today is not much different from the year preceding the revolution.

Do you think that the mullahs would give up power peacefully?

The regime might crack down as a last resort. But that's a declaration of war on the people, and at that point the people are going to want to defend themselves. I think a majority of Iranians believe strongly that this theocracy is unacceptable. And the biggest allies we have are the majority of the clerics in Iran, who from the very first day were opposed to this very setup. They know the best interest of the religion and the clergy today is the resumption of the traditional role of religion in society--apart from politics.