President Donald Trump must soon decide whether to launch a major war against Iran. Buffeted by large-scale protests that have claimed thousands of lives, the Islamic Republic may be vulnerable to regime change if confronted with military strikes from the United States and Israel.

Whether regime change is a realistic goal for any strategic bombing campaign is another question. There’s reason for doubt. Still, it’s also clear that the mullahs in Tehran are rattled. For the first time in many years, the regime appears insecure. Its collapse, long hoped for by many Iranians, now seems possible if not yet probable.

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But what happens the day after?

Even in the best-case scenario, wherein the Islamic Republic quickly implodes, what follows is anybody’s guess.

Prince Reza Pahlavi matters here. The 65-year-old eldest son of the last Shah of Iran has spent most of his life in exile, largely in the United States, thanks to the Islamic Revolution, which deposed his father in 1979. Pahlavi has sharply criticized the Tehran regime for its crimes against protesters and much else. The prince in exile has positioned himself as an alternative to the mullah dictatorship, which ended his family’s control of Iran.

But it’s difficult to gauge his popularity inside Iran. Pahlavi certainly has some support in Iran. Protesters recently have been seen brandishing the pre-1979 Lion and Sun national flag, a symbol of the Shah. But whether that’s sincere support for Pahlavi or merely an effort to get under the regime’s skin is impossible to say.

Most Iranians in the West I’ve spoken with believe that, while Pahlavi has support........

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