Who is Yasmin Pahlavi, the wife of Reza Pahlavi, who openly claims to return to power in Iran and currently acts as the leader of the protests widespread in the country?
Medianews.az reports that Yasmin’s maiden name is Etimad-Amini. She was born in Tehran in July 1968. Her father, Abdulla Etimad-Amini, was a businessman.
Yasmin’s childhood years coincided with the final period of the Shah regime. In the late 1970s, when political tension deepened in the country, her parents left Iran with their children and emigrated to the USA. Yasmin’s father died in exile in 2015.
Yasmin completed her secondary education in the USA. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and completed postgraduate studies in law at George Washington University in the capital.
Yasmin and Reza Pahlavi married in 1986. They have three daughters: Noor, Iman, and Farah.
Noor was born in 1992, Iman in 1993, and Farah in 2004.
Iman Pahlavi married Bradley Sherman, a businessman of Jewish descent, in the USA in 2025.
Noor and Farah are unmarried.
After completing her law education, Yasmin began working in the Labor Law department of the Legal Department of the World Bank in Washington.
Later, she served as an assistant to a judge at the Superior Court in Washington. Afterwards, she worked as a lawyer at the "Children’s Law Center" organization in Washington.
Yasmin was one of the co-founders of the Foundation for the Children of Iran, a charity organization established in 1991. In 2014, she resigned from the leadership of the foundation and from all positions related to the organization in general.
Although she does not hold an official political office, Yasmin has always attracted attention due to the symbolic status of the Pahlavi family. She has spoken on women’s rights, human rights, and Iran’s future at various international events, conferences, and diaspora meetings.
While Yasmin Pahlavi does not present herself as an outspoken political leader and does not demonstrate political ambition, she emphasizes her support for democratic governance, the role of women in society, and civil liberties against religious dictatorship, and is mainly known for this image.
Mostly seen at social and humanitarian events, some consider Yasmin Pahlavi a figure who plays a bridge role among various wings of the Iranian opposition.
In 2018, Yasmin Pahlavi was diagnosed with breast cancer. She publicly announced this diagnosis and stated that she tried to use her fight against the disease to draw attention to the importance of women’s health and early diagnosis.
In 2023, Yasmin Pahlavi visited the Republic of Azerbaijan. Posting a video from Baku on her Instagram account, she wrote: “I entered the Caspian Sea for the first time. It was very strange to know that I am only a few hours away from the shores of my own country. Being close to my homeland made me very happy. I wish I could set foot on the sands of Iran’s shores.”
Recall that the Pahlavi dynasty ruled Iran from 1925 to 1979. Reza Pahlavi is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the second and last Shah of Iran.
Reza was born on October 31, 1960, in Tehran. He has been a prince since 1967. He left Iran in 1978 to undergo military training in the US Air Force. A few months later, in 1979, the monarchy was overthrown as a result of the Islamic Revolution, and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi escaped the country with the rest of his family. Since then, Reza Pahlavi has lived in the USA with his family. Currently, he resides in Los Angeles. He received higher education in political science at the University of South Carolina.
The Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979 amidst the wave of the revolution. The supreme leadership duties are exercised by the Supreme Leader elected by the Assembly of Experts. Since June 3, 1989, this position has been held by Ali Khamenei, born in 1939. The President of Iran, who functions as the head of government, is elected by popular vote for a 4-year term. Since July 28, 2024, the president is Masoud Pezeshkian, born in 1954. The country’s 290-member parliament (Islamic Consultative Assembly) is elected every 4 years by a majoritarian system (by constituencies). The current parliament was formed in the spring of 2024.
Togrul Ali,
Medianews.az
Photo shared by Yasmin Pahlavi from Baku in 2023
