As the clerical regime in Tehran faces a deepening crisis of legitimacy, a familiar figure has reemerged in Western policy debates: Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah.

To some in Washington, he appears to offer a ready-made alternative to the current system. But for many Iranians, particularly Kurds, Balochs, and Azeris, the prospect of a Pahlavi restoration is not a solution — it is a potential trigger for renewed internal conflict.