Clutching at shahs: Iran’s would-be revolutionary

<p>Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah deposed in the 1979 revolution, <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/01/15/reza-pahlavi-says-iran-is-undergoing-a-revolution?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tells us</a> he sees himself as the people’s choice to lead. We ask how that might work. Our correspondent reckons that, in a full accounting of buying versus renting a home, the smart choice <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/01/07/is-it-better-to-rent-or-buy?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has become clear</a>. And our obituaries editor on <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2026/01/15/aldrich-ames-built-a-career-on-betraying-trust?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aldrich Ames</a>, a prolific CIA double agent for Russia.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br /><p><em>To see much more of our interview with Reza Pahlavi, and deep analysis with our editors and correspondents on how he might fit into Iran’s future, watch the </em><a href="https://www.economist.com/insider/the-insider/where-does-iran-go-from-here" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>latest episode</em></a><em> in our Insider series for subscribers.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>