Iran-Israel war: Reza Pahlavi is an Iranian political activist and the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former monarch who ruled Iran until the 1979 revolution. Born in 1960 in Tehran, he was the Crown Prince of Iran before the Islamic Republic was established. Iran-Israel war: Reza Pahlavi is an Iranian political activist and the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former monarch who ruled Iran until the 1979 revolution. Born in 1960 in Tehran, he was the Crown Prince of Iran before the Islamic Republic was established.