Experts considered the chances of the deposed shah's son coming to power in Iran to be low

No one will allow the son of the deposed Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, to lead the Iranian state. This conclusion was reached by experts during a round table on January 15 on the current situation in Iran and around it at the international multimedia press center "Russia Today".

"Many people remember and know what life was like under the Shah, and they understand that the return of the shah, if he becomes head of state, will not bring anything good. But this is not even realistic, because no one will allow him to appear in Iran at all, let alone lead the Iranian state," said Alexander Maryasov, a former Russian ambassador to Iran.

He also noted that the shah's son "outshines everyone" in terms of media influence during the protests. At the same time, Vladimir Sazhin, a senior researcher at the Center for the Study of the Near and Middle East at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), said that Iranian protesters sometimes support Pahlavi slogans to speak out against the government.

Checkmate: how the unrest in Iran will affect Russia and its neighbors

The Islamic Republic declared mourning for the dead

On January 1, the Fars news agency reported riots that escalated into clashes with the police in Iran. Then it became known about the three dead. The next day, US President Donald Trump said that his country would support the protesters if the Iranian authorities killed peaceful protesters. Some time later, on January 3, the Mehr news agency reported that the police had seized weapons from the protesters.

At a meeting with ambassadors of other countries, the Iranian Foreign Minister said that the Iranian authorities had taken control of the situation with mass protests in the country. Against the background of what is happening, the ambassadors of Germany, Great Britain and France were summoned to the department.

It was also noted that the death toll from the protests in Iran rose to 538, including 490 protesters and 48 security personnel. The country's President, Masoud Peseshkian, called on Iranians to express disagreement with opponents of state policy, as instigators can destroy the entire society.

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