Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi called on Iran’s security forces and remaining Islamic Republic officials to stand down and hand over power after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying the system was nearing collapse and urging a transition without further bloodshed.
In the video message, Pahlavi said Iranians were seeking the complete fall of the Islamic Republic.
Pahlavi warned that any move to appoint a successor to Khamenei was doomed to fail, saying whoever replaces him will not only lack legitimacy but would also be complicit in the crimes of the Islamic Republic.
Addressing the military, police and security forces, he urged them to join “the people of Iran and the Lion and Sun Revolution,” and said their weapons should be used to protect Iranians against the agents of the Islamic Republic to end what he called “a forty-seven-year nightmare.”
He also told Iranians to remain vigilant and said the time for a widespread and decisive presence in the streets was near, urging people – while protecting their safety – to show support through nightly chants and to voice their demands for Iran’s future.
Pahlavi appealed to Iranians abroad to intensify their efforts and to amplify what he described as public support for “humanitarian intervention” and the demand for the Islamic Republic’s complete downfall.
