Exiled prince Pahlavi urges patience, says Iranians must deliver 'final blow'

Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi urged Iranians to remain patient following a two-week ceasefire, saying the government had been weakened but that its repression apparatus had not been fully eliminated and that the final blow must come from the Iranian people.

“I know that news of the two week ceasefire between the Islamic Republic, America and Israel has disheartened many of you. But today is not a time for despair, it is a time for even greater belief in victory,” Pahlavi said in a video message addressed to Iranians inside the country.

He said that while the Islamic Republic has been “profoundly weakened,” its capacity for repression has not been “entirely eliminated.”

“We knew from the outset, however, that the Islamic Republic would not fall solely through the elimination of its command structure and the degradation of its repressive apparatus by aerial strikes. That is precisely why, in every message I have addressed to you, I emphasized that it is we, the Iranian nation, who must deliver the final blow to this weakened regime and bring about its ultimate end,” he said.

He said his priority was to ensure any final move to topple the Islamic Republic minimizes loss of life, urging Iranians to remain patient, protect themselves and stay ready, while pledging to continue efforts abroad to support calls for the regime's end.

“I therefore ask that you remain patient, protect yourselves and, with faith in victory and full readiness, await the decisive moment. In the meantime, I and all our compatriots abroad will raise your demand for an end to the Islamic Republic with every ounce of our strength,” he said.