Shah’s Son Confident Iran Rulers to Fall as Trump Holds Off

AFP/APP

Washington: The son of Iran’s late shah said Friday he was confident that mass protests would topple the Islamic republic and urged international action, as US President Donald Trump holds off on intervening in the unrest.

Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the Washington area, has positioned himself as a leader of the opposition as the cleric-run state ruthlessly represses mass demonstrations.

“The Islamic republic will fall — not if, but when,” Pahlavi told a news conference in Washington.

Since the demonstrations erupted in late December, initially demanding solutions to Iran’s severe economic woes, Pahlavi has repeatedly called for US intervention.

Trump had warned Iran that any killing of protesters would provoke a US military response and encouraged Iranians to take over state institutions, saying “help is on the way.”

However, two weeks after first suggesting aid, he has not acted. In the meantime, security forces have killed at least 3,428 protesters, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights, with other estimates putting the toll at more than 5,000 or possibly as high as 20,000.

Trump has instead highlighted what he says is an end to the killing of protesters, as demonstrations have diminished in recent days. On Friday, he wrote on Truth Social that Iran had called off executions of hundreds of protesters, adding: “Thank you!”

Pahlavi also took to social media Friday, calling on Iranians across the country to “raise your voices in anger and protest with our national slogans” at 8:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

He urged Trump not to emulate Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, who negotiated with Tehran. “I believe that President Trump is a man of his word and ultimately he will stand with the Iranian people as he has said,” Pahlavi said. “Iranian people are taking decisive actions on the ground. It is now time for the international community to join them fully.”

Gulf Arab monarchies, despite frequent friction with Iran, have urged Trump to exercise caution.

‘Surgical’ strikes

Pahlavi called for targeting the command structure of the elite Revolutionary Guards, which he said is key to “instituting terror at home or terrorism abroad.”

“I’m calling for a surgical strike,” he said, having controversially backed Israel’s military campaign against Iran in June. He also urged countries to expel Iranian diplomats and help restore internet access, which has been severely restricted.

Many protesters have chanted Pahlavi’s name, whose pro-Western father fled in 1979 during the Islamic revolution. While Iran’s last shah presented a glamorous image internationally, his domestic repression, secret police brutality, and lack of economic mobility fueled political opposition.

Asked about repression under his father, Pahlavi said: “I let historians write history. I’m here to make history.”

The 65-year-old said he seeks to serve as a figurehead for a transition to secular democracy, with a popular referendum to choose the next government system. He acknowledged detractors who suspect a desire to restore the monarchy but emphasized change must come from the opposition within Iran.

“I reaffirm my lifelong pledge to lead the movement that will take back our country from the anti-Iranian hostile force that occupies it and kills its children,” Pahlavi said. “I will return to Iran.”

He promised a new Iran would improve relations with the United States and Israel and integrate into the global economy. Pahlavi proposed quickly normalizing relations with Israel in a “Cyrus Accord,” referencing Cyrus the Great, the Persian emperor who freed Jews from Babylonian captivity.

“Iran today should have been the next South Korea of the Middle East,” he said. “Today we have become North Korea.