Iran’s Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi Says Unearthed Mummy Likely Reza Shah

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Adelle Nazarian

Iran’s exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said this week that the mummified remains of a body unearthed in Shahr-e Rey, Tehran, on Monday likely belong to his late grandfather, Reza Shah Pahlavi, the founder of the Pahlavi Dynasty.

Pahlavi posted a statement on Twitter about the body.

“After further evaluation, we believe that this body most probably belongs to my grandfather, Reza Shah,” Pahlavi wrote in his statement.

The body was reportedly discovered by construction workers and images of these workers taking pictures with the allegedly royal remains quickly spread over social media.

Shortly after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, a mob demolished Reza Shah’s tomb. Pahlavi noted, “At no point did my father or my family remove Reza Shah’s body from his mausoleum in Shahr Rey and any rumors to the contrary are unfounded. We ask that the current regime and its officials afford our family access to the body.”

He also took to Twitter and called for all Iranians to mobilize on social media and peacefully assemble in cities across Iran in memory of his late grandfather:

I ask the Iranian people, as the true guardians of Reza Shah’s legacy, to join and support my family, whether through social media or peaceful public protests, as we pursue this mater in order to ensure that it is handled and resolved appropriately, with transparency and dignity befitting Reza Shah and Iran.

The Associated Press reported, “A spokesman for the shrine dismissed the idea of a mummy being found there. However, Hassan Khalilabadi, the head of Tehran City Council’s cultural heritage and tourism committee, was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency on Monday as saying it’s ‘possible’ the mummy is the body of Reza Shah.”

Ironically, thousands of Iranians were chanting “Reza Shah Rest In Peace” during the most recent uprisings against the Iranian regime, which began on December 28.

During the uprisings, Breitbart News reported, “A crowd that had gathered in front of Gawhar Shad Mosque in Mashad—the same place where Iran’s late shah commissioned the army in 1935 to suppress the uprising caused by the mullahs in reaction to the banishing of the hijab—reportedly chanted, “Reza Shah, may you rest in peace.”

Radio Farda reported that the day the mummified remains were found was exactly one day before the anniversary of Reza Shah’s coronation on April 24, 1926.

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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