Iran is on the cusp of a possible revolution, exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi said in an interview with The Telegraph published Sunday, calling on Western countries to brace for the historic change.
“Iran is in a revolutionary, or at the very least, a pre-revolutionary fervor," the son of Iran's last monarch said.
"It’s escalating every day. All the chants you hear on the streets, all the protests, all the demonstrations that specifically call for an end to this regime, death to the dictator, death to the Islamic Republic.”
"There is a critical window of opportunity to change history. It may only be open for a few months,” he added, calling on Western governments to support the momentum seen in Iran as the government faces its lowest legitimacy since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
Pahlavi rejected military intervention, arguing that Western powers should instead apply pressure on the Iranian government and the people's movement.
“What we’ve been saying to the Americans, the Europeans, is let’s not jump directly from failed diplomacy to contemplating conflict and war,” he said. “There’s a third option and [it is] the best option – the Iranian people.”
Pahlavi also emphasized the importance of defections from within the Iranian state, including military and security personnel, to ensure a transition with minimal bloodshed.
“We don’t want to encourage a scenario that leads to anarchy, rather a controlled implosion,” he said. “But it cannot happen unless you have the tacit collaboration of military and paramilitary forces.”
He said justice will be brought to the people involved in Iran's mass crackdowns which have seen record numbers of executions since 2022 and hundreds killed in protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amin.
“Those who have their hands soiled with the blood of the people will have to face justice one day. But I’m not talking about kangaroo trials,” he said.
Pahlavi also said he supports US President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy on Iran but believes it should be paired with “maximum support” for opposition movements.
“Is there a historic opportunity for change to happen? We believe yes,” he said. “But I think that the failure of Western policymakers to catch up to where Iran is now could impede our success in finding a resolution to the ultimate problem.”
