World
Son of Iranian Shah urges uprising against ‘collapsing’ Islamic regime
Reza Pahlavi said he prepared a 100-day transition plan for establishing democratic rule, "by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people."
June 18, 2025 13:02
Reza Pahlavi said he prepared a 100-day transition plan for establishing democratic rule, "by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people."
June 18, 2025 13:02Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, has urged the country's security forces and state employees to rise up against the Islamic regime, whose "fall has begun" in an "address to the Iranian nation" on Tuesday.
"My fellow countrymen, the Islamic Republic has reached its end and is in the process of collapsing," Pahlavi said in remarks in Farsi that were posted on his social-media channels. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, "like a frightened rat, has gone into hiding underground and has lost control," he stated.
According to the crown prince, "the end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation" that started in 1979.
"All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all," he continued. "Now is the time to rise and reclaim Iran."
Pahlavi noted that he prepared a 100-day transition plan for establishing democratic rule, "by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people."
Addressing security forces and state employees, Pahlavi urged them to "not stand against the Iranian people for the sake of a regime whose fall has begun and is inevitable."
"By standing with the people, you can save your lives," he stated. "Play a historic role in the transition from the Islamic Republic and take part in building the future of Iran."
"A free and flourishing Iran lies ahead of us. May we be together soon. Long live Iran. Long live the Iranian nation," his remarks concluded.‘Your hour of freedom is near’
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told the London-based Iran International opposition outlet that the regime’s days were numbered, saying Tehran could be made "great again."
"I believe in you. I respect you. I admire you. I know your achievements. I know your potential. I know that Iran can be great again. It was a great civilization, and this theological thuggery that has kidnapped your country will not stand for long, and you are the future, not them," Netanyahu said in a conversation with anchor Pouria Zeraati.
"A light has been lit—carry it to freedom," the longtime Israeli leader declared. "Your hour of freedom is near; it's happening now."
"These dictators in Iran, sure they fear us—but they fear you, the people of Iran, even more," Netanyahu said. "They understand that 80 percent of Iranians despise them."
In a separate interview with Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu said that regime change "could certainly be the result" of the campaign in Iran.
"The Persian people and the Jewish people have had an ancient friendship that goes back to the times of Cyrus the Great; that could happen again," Netanyahu told Fox, while saying that "the decision to act, to rise up, at this time is the decision of the Iranian people."
The IDF launched "Operation Rising Lion" against the Iranian regime because intelligence indicated that Tehran had amassed enough highly enriched uranium for nine bombs, the premier said in the interview.