Of all Iranian diaspora leaders, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted shah, has the greatest legitimacy. He has name recognition, and even those Iranians who supported the 1979 Islamic Revolution look upon the monarchy as the golden age before sanctions, war, and corruption hobbled the country. Iranians recognize that their grandparents had better living standards and security under the shah than they do now. And while the Mojahedin-e Khalq aided Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, no one can accuse the crown prince of doing so. Rather, he, alongside millions of Iranians, was his victim. Unlike the Mojahedin-e Khalq, Pahlavi does not need to hire rent-a-mobs, offer donations to politicians, or huge honoraria to former officials for endorsements.

Beyond name recognition, Pahlavi is a good man. He is both kind and generous. He neither comes across as arrogant nor effete. Many of those he helps, he does so in silence. One story I heard not from Pahlavi nor his inner circle, but rather from locals during a visit to Williamstown, Massachusetts: Years after the Islamic Revolution, Pahlavi learned that a waiter at a restaurant he once frequented while a college student was sick and in the hospital. He insisted on both visiting the man and helping with his medical bills.