Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran and the most prominent figure of the Iranian opposition in exile, made an urgent appeal to all Iranians on Tuesday to unite and overthrow the Islamic Republic. He publicly announced for the first time that his team has a plan for both the regime's downfall and for governing the country during the subsequent transition.
The message, published in video in Persian through his X account, was the most extensive of the messages Pahlavi has released since the onset of Operation Epic Fury — the joint offensive by the United States and Israel against Iranian military and nuclear targets, launched on February 28, 2026.
On that occasion, Pahlavi had already urged the armed forces and security to abandon the regime; this new call expands the audience: it is no longer just the military, but "all Iranians, from all sectors".
"The Islamic Republic is no longer the regime that governed Iran a year ago. This regime is now weaker than ever, and its absent leader and the other leaders fear above all the power of the Iranian people; they fear a national and effective uprising that will put an end to the life of this demonic regime," Pahlavi stated in the video.
The exiled prince blamed the Revolutionary Guard for the country's economic and security deterioration: "This criminal sect and its terrorist Revolutionary Guard have plunged our beloved homeland into war and have jeopardized the existence of Iran. The Guard's dominance over the institutions of the country and the plundering of national resources are the main causes of the constant worsening of Iran's economic and security situation."
Regarding the transition plan, he was explicit: «We have a plan both to overthrow the Islamic Republic and to govern Iran afterwards; a clear plan aimed at preserving the security and stability of the country during the transition, ensuring the fundamental freedoms of the people, and meeting the essential needs of the citizens».
At the same time, he offered a safe conduct to those who abandon the regime and warned those who do not: “To the military, police, and security forces: join the people and stand with them on the day of Iran’s liberation to receive a safe conduct. But if you continue to stand with the oppressors and participate in crimes against the people, you will have to answer before the law and justice.”
The context in which this call arrives is one of extreme weakness of the regime.
The supreme leader Ali Khamenei died during the initial attacks of Operation Epic Fury and was succeeded by his son Mojtaba Khamenei, in a hereditary succession that contradicts the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic and has been widely questioned.
The anti-government protests that began in late 2025 continued this Tuesday, with a death toll ranging from 2,614 to 3,428 according to human rights organizations.
It is not the first time Pahlavi has made such a call. In June 2025, he declared to the BBC that the Islamic Republic was at a "terminal stage," and at the beginning of the Epic Fury Operation, he referred to the offensive as "humanitarian intervention" and urged President Trump to exercise maximum caution to avoid civilian casualties.
To coordinate the action, Pahlavi invited Iranians to contact his team through the Telegram channel "BarkhizIranBot" and join the "National Cooperation Campaign to Save Iran." The video garnered over 2.5 million views in less than 24 hours.
On the same day that Pahlavi made his call, Mojtaba Khamenei demanded that the United States accept Tehran's conditions to end the war, indicating that the regime, despite its weakening, shows no intention of yielding.
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