Rezā Shāh Pahlavi (Persian: رضاشاه پهلوی‎; pronounced [reˈzɑː ˈʃɑːhe pæhlæˈviː], born Rezā Khan (March 15, 1878 – July 26, 1944), was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.