- Reza Pahlavi warned Iran's Supreme Leader of a Nuremberg-like trial for the crackdown
- He accused Khamenei of crimes and urged Iranians to unite against the regime
- The crackdown has resulted in at least 4,029 deaths, according to activists
Reza Pahlavi, Iran's exiled crown prince, has warned Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of a Nuremberg-like Nazi trial as uneasy calm returned in Tehran after a wave of protests that drew a bloody crackdown. In an open letter to Khamenei, Pahlavi dubbed the clergy leader an anti-Iranian criminal whose hands are stained with the blood of tens of thousands of Iranians.
The letter comes as the number of deaths in a crackdown by authorities that smothered the demonstrations reached at least 4,029, according to activists.
Pahlavi's Letter
"You, your regime, and all your mercenaries will be held accountable for every single drop of blood you have spilt, without exception. We neither forgive. Nor forget. Nor retreat. Just as the Nazi criminals were tried and punished at Nuremberg, you and your accomplices will also be tried and punished in the court of the Iranian nation," Pahlavi wrote in Arabic on X, labelling it a letter to Khamenei.
The exiled prince, whose father was ousted following decades-long autocratic rule, urged the Iranian citizens to have faith in themselves, their unity, courage and greatness.
"My brave children, my grieving yet resolute sisters and brothers: you are not alone. Your steadfastness has changed history. You stand at the forefront of freedom. And we are closer than ever to the end of this regime. This regime is cracked. Its power is exhausted. Its fall has begun," he wrote.
Pahlavi further asserted that the theocratic leadership in Iran can no longer silence the "awakened and risen" Iran or impose fear over the country. "This regime is afraid of you and your power. We will not allow our grief to turn into despair," he told Iranians.
He addressed the dying protests against the regime and threatened that "the moment to return to the streets will come-- broader, more powerful, and more determined than ever – to conquer Tehran and to reclaim Iran."
"The continuation of this struggle until final victory is not merely a national duty but a covenant with the martyrs of the path to freedom and their pure blood... That day is not far when we celebrate together the reclamation of Iran," he added.
Situation In Iran
The letter comes days after hackers disrupted Iranian state television satellite transmissions to air footage supporting the country's exiled crown prince and calling on security forces not to "point weapons at the people." The footage aired on Sunday night across multiple channels broadcast by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the country's state broadcaster.
The video aired two clips of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, then included footage of security forces and others in what appeared to be Iranian police uniforms. It claimed, without offering evidence, that others had "laid down their weapons and sworn an oath of allegiance to the people."
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had his invitation to speak at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, withdrawn over the killings.
Tensions also remain high between the United States and Iran over the crackdown after President Donald Trump drew two red lines for the Islamic Republic – the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran conducting mass executions in the wake of the demonstrations. A US aircraft carrier, which days earlier had been in the South China Sea, passed Singapore overnight to enter the Strait of Malacca – putting it on a route that could bring it to the Middle East.
