Islamic Republic drives regional instability, Pahlavi says

Democracy is about inclusion, not eliminating options in advance, exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said at a press conference on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, arguing that Iran’s future political system should be decided by voters rather than predetermined by political factions.

“Democracy is not about exclusion, it’s about inclusion, unless you are not in conformity with democratic principles,” Pahlavi said, adding that both republics and constitutional monarchies can succeed or fail depending on how they are practiced.

Responding to criticism that he does not represent all Iranians, Pahlavi said he does not claim unanimous support but argued that his name has been widely chanted inside Iran. “I’m not saying that I have 100% of people on my side. Of course, I have my enemies,” he said.

He said groups that do not adhere to his four stated principles, including separatists, pro-regime reformists and Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), are not part of his coalition. However, he described his supporters as diverse, including republicans and monarchists, people across the political spectrum and representatives of ethnic and religious communities.

“My position is neutral towards the outcome,” he said, adding that Iranians should determine their preferred system “by the ballot box” in a free election whose results all sides respect.

Pahlavi also criticized the Islamic Republic’s electoral system, saying there are no genuine free elections in Iran and that presenting them as such is “a mockery of democracy.”

Iranians continue to resist despite a sweeping crackdown, Prince Reza Pahlavi said, warning that delays could cost more lives.

“When my compatriots came to the streets, they were only met with this brutal genocidal level, industrial level massacre,” Pahlavi said, adding that many were forced to retreat but “people are still out there chanting” in recent nights.

He said tens of thousands are imprisoned, and accused authorities of continuing arrests, threats and executions, including targeting hospital workers and nurses.

“The importance of strike to neutralize the regime forces of repression is the element that could get people back into the streets,” he said, arguing that negotiations with Iran would not yield results and that “every day that goes by, more people could die.”

Stabilizing the country and preventing chaos would be the top priorities in the first 100 days of a post-Islamic Republic transition, Prince Reza Pahlavi said, calling for broad participation and defections from within the system.

He said the immediate focus during a transition would be to “stabilize the country, stabilize the economy” and ensure security, arguing that encouraging “maximum defections” would help avoid the kind of collapse seen in Iraq after Saddam Hussein.

Those “criminally responsible” with “the blood of people on their hands” would face accountability in court, he added.

Millions of Iranians have chanted his name and called for his return, exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, describing the calls as both humbling and a responsibility.

“Millions of Iranians chanted my name and called for my return. That humbles me and gives me a lot of responsibility at the same time to answer their call and to be the leader of this transition as they have asked for,” he said at a press conference.

Pahlavi added that anyone who agrees with “those four core principles, irrespective of their political affiliation or viewpoints, can be part of this national struggle for freedom.”

He outlined a roadmap in which a transitional government would prepare the ground for a constitutional assembly elected by Iranians to determine the country’s future system. “At the end of this process, once the constitution is approved and the nation votes in a referendum to adopt it, we will have the election of the first new parliament and the first new government of that future democracy,” he said, adding that the temporary government would then hand over power to elected officials.

Canada imposed new sanctions on seven individuals under its Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced on Saturday.

“The imposition of these sanctions sends a clear message that Canada will not tolerate the Iranian regime’s attempts to intimidate, harm or silence voices inside or outside Iran,” Anand said.

The Canadian government said those designated are linked to Iranian state bodies responsible for “intimidation, violence and transnational repression” targeting dissidents and human rights defenders.

Iran’s use of proxy agents and criminal networks to silence critics, “including through harassment, surveillance and planned acts of violence in Europe and North America,” has raised serious concerns, the statement said.

Canada will “continue to take concrete action to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities” and stand with Iranians seeking freedom and respect for their rights, Anand added.