The son of the last Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, called on the country’s military, police, and security forces to abandon the “crumbling” Islamist regime of the Ayatollah amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Saturday.
“Decisive moments lie before us,” the exiled crown prince of Iran said amid a major military operation launched in the early hours of Saturday by U.S. President Donald Trump in conjunction with Israeli forces targeting the rogue nation’s missile programme and leadership apparatus.
In a statement on social media, Reza Pahlavi said that the military operation initiated by President Trump should be seen as a “humanitarian intervention” targeting the Islamist regime — “and its machinery of killing” — rather than a strike on the country and people of Iran.
“However, despite the arrival of this assistance, the final victory will still be achieved by us. It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish this task in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is approaching,” he said.
Pahlavi, who has lived in the United States since 1978, shortly after which his father, the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was deposed in an Islamist revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, called on the Iranian military, law enforcement, and security services to abandon the “collapsing” regime.
“You have sworn an oath to protect Iran and the Iranian nation, not the Islamic Republic and its leaders. Your duty is to defend the people, not to defend a regime that has taken our homeland hostage through repression and crime. Join the nation and help ensure a stable and secure transition. Otherwise, you will sink with Khamenei’s ship and his crumbling regime.”
Directly addressing the Iranian public, many of whom have backed Pahlavi as a potential leader in the event of the collapse of the Islamist regime, said that the “ultimate goal” will be to retake the country.
However, amid the military strikes from the United States and Israel, the crown prince called on the Iranian people to “remain in your homes and remain calm and safe” for the time being.
“Stay alert and ready to return to the streets for the final action at the appropriate time, which I will communicate to you,” he said.
Pahlavi, who was actively involved in coordinating recent anti-government protests through his social media platforms, said that he will continue to do so.
“Follow my messages through social media and satellite media. If disruptions occur in the internet and satellite broadcasts, I will remain in contact with you via radio,” he said. “We are very close to final victory. I hope to be with you as soon as possible so that together we may reclaim Iran and rebuild it.”
In a message to President Donald Trump, the crown prince said: “The honorable people of Iran, despite the brutal repression and killings carried out by this regime, stood bravely for nearly two months. I now ask you to exercise the utmost possible caution to preserve the lives of civilians and my compatriots. The people of Iran are your natural allies and the allies of the free world, and they will not forget your assistance during the most difficult period of Iran’s contemporary history.”
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