Iran’s top security chief Larijani is dead, Israeli defence minister Katz says

He said in an interview with Iran International aired on Monday that a final call for nationwide demonstrations to end the Islamic Republic would come once the authorities’ coercive apparatus had been sufficiently weakened.

“I think all of us, after 47 years of dealing with this criminal government, are counting the days until this system finally disappears,” Pahlavi said in the interview with Morad Vaisi.

“We want to reach the day after its collapse, when the people of Iran can achieve what they truly deserve: complete freedom and an opportunity to rebuild and prosper.”

Many Iranians, Pahlavi added, are hoping that moment will arrive soon but argued that strategy and timing remain critical.

“Conditions must also be taken into account,” Pahlavi said. “As everyone has seen, this government has no hesitation in suppressing people. It is prepared to see hundreds of thousands killed if that means staying in power. Therefore the movement must proceed intelligently. The final call will be issued at the right moment.”

Opposition strategy focuses on weakening security forces

Pahlavi argued that recent developments had already eroded the Islamic Republic’s ability to rely on its security institutions.

The weakening of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Basij militia, he said, was central to opposition strategy, describing foreign military pressure and domestic activism as factors that had shifted the balance.

“This campaign delivered a very heavy blow to the structures of repression in the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij,” Pahlavi said.

Beyond external pressure, he talked about what he described as covert organizing inside the country, including activities by a network he called the “Immortal Guard.”

The network, according to Pahlavi, operates inside Iran and carries out coordinated actions intended to undermine the state’s coercive institutions.

“Groups inside the country, members of the Immortal Guard, through organization and coordinated work, have the ability to deliver further blows from within,” Pahlavi said. “Many of the developments we have seen in the country did not occur spontaneously but were the result of organized work.”

He described the network as emerging from within society and said its activities were aimed at protecting civilians while targeting institutions used for repression.

“The Immortal Guard is born from the people themselves,” Pahlavi said. “At this stage it plays a defensive role, helping protect people’s lives and striking institutions that the authorities use to spread fear and violence.”

Appeal to security forces

Pahlavi also used the interview to address members of Iran’s armed forces and police, urging them to distance themselves from the authorities.

“You still have the opportunity to join the people and separate yourselves from the system and its repressive forces,” Pahlavi said. “You can be part of the solution for the future of the country.”

He warned that those who continue to support the government could face accountability if political change occurs.

“Those who choose to remain defenders and guarantors of this system’s survival will have to answer to the people tomorrow,” Pahlavi said.

At the same time, he sought to reassure members of the military establishment that a future political transition would not necessarily exclude them.

“I come from a military family and I myself was a pilot,” Pahlavi said. “I understand the value of those who defend their country. Whether in the army, the police, or the gendarmerie, we need these individuals to maintain the security of the nation.”

Pahlavi said that anyone not involved in violence against civilians should be able to play a role in the future political system.

“As long as someone’s hands are not stained with the blood of the people, there is no reason they cannot serve in the future of the country,” he added.

Plans for transition after collapse

Pahlavi also described planning efforts for a transitional period following the fall of the Islamic Republic, referring to an initiative known as the “Prosperity Project.”

The effort, he said, involves specialists across various fields preparing proposals for how the country could be governed immediately after a political transition.

“The purpose of the Prosperity Project is to ensure that beyond political activists, professionals and experts are also planning for the future,” Pahlavi said.

He cited areas such as the judiciary, economic policy, health care, and education as subjects under discussion.

“For example, legal experts can explain how justice should be implemented during the transition and how officials of the current system should be handled,” he said. “Economists can outline how to rebuild the economy and attract investment.”

Pahlavi said existing state institutions and civil servants would likely continue operating temporarily to prevent administrative breakdown.

“During an emergency transition period, the country will need to be run by the existing institutions and ministries,” Pahlavi said. “These employees must continue their work until we reach the stage where the future political system is determined.”

The long-term political structure, he said, would ultimately be decided by a constituent assembly and national referendum.

Return to Iran

The exiled prince also said he intends to return to Iran as soon as circumstances permit, even if the Islamic Republic still formally holds power.

“I do not know where the first liberated area will be and it may not necessarily be Tehran,” Pahlavi added. “But as soon as conditions allow, I would prefer to be inside Iran among my compatriots.”

He suggested that his presence inside the country could accelerate defections from state institutions.

“My presence in Iran could encourage faster defections among the forces of the Islamic Republic and help them join the people,” Pahlavi said. “I am ready to accept all necessary and calculated risks in order to return to my country.”

National identity and protest movement

Throughout the interview, Pahlavi framed the opposition movement as a national project rooted in Iranian cultural identity.

He argued that the country’s traditions and historical symbols had played an important role in sustaining resistance to the authorities.

“This uprising is a national movement built around our Iranian identity,” Pahlavi said. “From the first days, the Islamic Republic confronted cultural traditions such as Nowruz and Chaharshanbe Suri (fire festival) because Iran itself was not their priority.”

Despite acknowledging the risks involved in confronting the state, Pahlavi said he believes the authorities will ultimately fail to maintain control.

“I have no doubt that this system will eventually disappear and the people will prevail,” Pahlavi said. “The important thing is that we continue our movement according to the calls that are issued and remain committed to rebuilding the country.”

Diplomatic efforts are needed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid tensions linked to the Iran war, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in an interview with Reuters.

Kallas warned that any disruption to the key shipping route could trigger global crises in energy, food and fertilizer supplies.

"Nobody is ready to put their people in harm's way in the Strait of Hormuz. We have to find diplomatic ways to keep this open so that we don't have a food crisis, fertilizers crisis, energy crisis as well," she said.

Iran's oil production and exports are continuing without interruption, parliamentary energy commission spokesperson Esmaeil Hosseini said on Tuesday.

Hosseini said daily life on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, was proceeding as usual despite recent strikes on military assets there.

He reiterated Iran’s warning that any foreign attack on the island would trigger what he described as a stronger response than actions taken in the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has restricted vessels it says are linked to the United States, Israel and their allies.

Israeli media reported on Tuesday that the military had targeted Iran’s top security chief Ali Larijani.

Larijani serves as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Israeli media said the military was checking whether he had been killed, but there was no confirmation from Iran.

Israel’s military chief indicated the strike may have hit a senior figure, in comments that appeared to refer to Larijani, the Times of Israel reported.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said “significant elimination achievements” had been recorded overnight that could affect the course of the campaign, according to the report.

Zamir also said Israeli forces had targeted operatives linked to Palestinian groups, including Islamic Jihad, and that militants from Gaza and the West Bank were struck in a safe house in Tehran, the Times of Israel said.

Iran’s nationwide internet blackout entered its 18th day on Tuesday, with public access to the global internet still largely cut off, according to NetBlocks.

The monitoring group said the disruption had passed 408 hours, leaving most users without international connectivity while a small number of approved users retained limited access.

"Chosen users are granted privileged access, while the remainder are left with a limited domestic intranet under increasingly tight control," NetBlocks said.