Iran On The Cusp Of Regime Change? What Reza Pahlavi, Son Of Shah Of Iran Said

As the people of Iran face uncertainty, with its Supreme Leader holed up in a secret bunker at an undisclosed location, with the nation in utter disarray and chaos amid an Israeli military onslaught, an old and familiar voice has arisen, calling for change, and assuring Iranians a promising future.

Reza Pahlavi, a descendant of the Shah of Iran, under whose leadership and lineage, Iran was a vibrant nation - a constitutional monarchy with democratic values, addressed the nation late on Tuesday evening. "The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is collapsing," he said, adding that "The future is bright, and together we will turn the page of history."

Still considered the Crown Prince of Iran in exile, despite the fall of the monarchs in 1979 after the Islamic revolution, Reza Pahlavi launched a scathing attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime.

EXILED CROWN PRINCE'S APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE OF IRAN

"My fellow Countrymen, the 'Islamic Republic' has reached its end and is in the process of collapsing. Khamenei, like a frightened rat, has gone into hiding underground, and has lost control of the situation. What has begun is irreversible," the exiled Crown Prince said, adding that "The future is bright, and together, we will pass through this sharp turn in history. In these difficult days, my heart is with all the defenseless citizens who have been harmed and have fallen victim to Khamenei's warmongering and delusions."

Blaming Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime for the downfall of the nation, Reza Pahlavi said, "For years, I have tried to prevent our homeland from being consumed by the fire of war. The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation. The regime's apparatus of repression is finally falling apart."

Urging the people to unite and revolt against the Khamenei-led regime, Pahlavi said, "All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all. Now is the time to rise; the time to reclaim Iran. Let us all come forward - from Bandar Abbas to Bandar Anzali, from Shiraz to Ishfahan, from Tabriz to Zahedan, from Mashhad to Ahvaz, and from Shahr-e-Kord to Kermanshah - and bring about the end of this regime."

Reassuring the people of Iran, he said, "Do not fear the day after the fall of the Islamic Republic. Iran will not descend into civil war or instability. We have a plan for Iran's future and its flourishing. We are prepared for the first hundred days after the fall (of Ayatollah Khamenei), for the transitional period, and for the establishment of a national and democratic government - by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people."

The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is collapsing. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together we will turn the page of history. Now is the time to stand up; the time to reclaim Iran. May I be with you soon. pic.twitter.com/qrbnDmf8SX

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) June 17, 2025

"To the military, law enforcement, security forces, and state employees - many of whom have been sending me messages in recent days - I say: Do not stand against the Iranian people for the sake of a regime whose fall has begum and is inevitable. Do not sacrifice yourselves for a decaying regime. By standing with the people, you can save your lives. Play a historic role in Iran's transition from the Islamic Republic to a Democratic Republic, and take part in building the future of Iran," the exiled Crown Prince appealed.

"A free and flourishing Iran lies ahead of us. May we be together soon. Long live Iran! Long Live the Iranian nation!" he said, concluding his address to fellow Iranians.

WHAT NETANYAHU AND TRUMP HAVE SAID

Reza Pahlavi's passionate appeal to the people of Iran, seeking their support for a regime change comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that one of the objectives of Israel's military offensive against Iran was to ensure a regime change from what he described as a "dictatorship" and a "radical Islamist regime" - something that US President Donald Trump has also called Ayatollah Khamenei's administration.

Netanyahu's primary objective is to stop the "radical regime" from having a nuclear weapon - something that Tehran is close to achieving due to its high levels of uranium enrichment - far beyond what is needed for civilian nuclear energy that the Khamenei-led regime claims as their sole objective.

The US, which was negotiating a new nuclear agreement with Iran, said that for civilian purposes, 3.67 per cent uranium enrichment is enough. Tehran has already gone far beyond that. Enrichment levels of uranium in Iran have crossed 60 per cent - a short, technical step away from reaching weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.

Calling this "unacceptable" and something that "simply cannot be allowed", US President Donald Trump had said in April that "Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. These (Khamenei's regime) are radicalised people, and they cannot have a nuclear weapon."

Israel attacked Iran's military and nuclear installation on Friday, June 13, after claiming that Tehran had reached dangerously close to possessing uranium that may potentially allow them to develop a nuclear weapon - which Israel considers a red line. All of Iran's nuclear facilities came under heavy Israeli airstrikes and have faced considerable damage as per the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

A BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT THE SHAH OF IRAN

Iran's last Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, fled in 1979 as the Islamic Revolution took hold of the nation. He died in Egypt in 1980. His son, Reza Pahlavi, was heir to the Peacock Throne when the dynasty was ousted and, now based in the United States, he calls for regime change through non-violent civil disobedience and a referendum on a new government.

However, while Pahlavi has plenty of admirers in the Iranian diaspora, who support a return to the monarchy, it is uncertain how popular that idea might be inside the country. Most Iranians are not old enough to remember life before the Islamic Revolution and the country looks very different to the one Pahlavi's father fled 46 years ago.

While many Iranians look back with nostalgia on that pre-revolutionary era, many others also recall its inequalities and oppression.

Before the Islamic Revolution, Iran shared friendly ties with both the United States and Israel. But Tehran and Washington have been sworn enemies since 1979, when the government of the US-backed Shah was ousted and the Islamic Republic established with the 'Ayatollah' as its Supreme Leader.

US AND IRAN - FROM FRIENDS TO FOES

The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 began with a protest against the Shah's administration. While there were several sections of society that participated in the protests against the then Shah of Iran, a majority of them were students.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had fled Iran before the student-led protests went out of control, was sought to be returned to the country by the agitators and the Ayatollah-led regime.

In November, 1979, radical students, demanding the Shah's extradition, seized 52 hostages at the US embassy in Tehran and held them for 444 days, prompting Washington to sever ties and take stern measures. This led Iran from being a friend of the United States to an enemy of the United States.

The bad blood between Tehran and Washington worsened in 2018 when US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a deal that froze Iran's nuclear programme temporarily and reimposed crippling sanctions.