Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi says he is prepared to return to Iran for the first time since 1979 for the “ultimate battle” as nationwide protests expand and President Donald Trump threatens to take action against the Iranian regime.
“I’ve trained all my life to serve my nation,” he said in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “I am more than ever ready to step into Iran. I will be there with my compatriots to lead the ultimate battle.”
Pahlavi’s remarks come as demonstrations have spread across 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces, resulting in at least 35 deaths, including two children, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The protests are the largest the regime has faced in years.
About 1,200 people have reportedly been detained in connection with the protests. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has documented many of the arrests, including a significant number involving Iranian Kurds, a long-persecuted minority in Iran. The regime has also reportedly attempted to suppress the protests by cutting the internet in areas around the country.
According to Pahlavi, his return would not be to resume the power his father, the former Shah, was stripped of during the Iranian Revolution, but will be to guide a political transition to a democracy.
“My role is to help my compatriots achieve that goal to bring about a peaceful end by means of a national referendum and a constitutional assembly,” he said. “I am impartial as to what the ultimate result will be as long as it’s a secular democracy.”
Born in Tehran to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah Diba, Reza Pahlavi was officially named crown prince in 1967 at the age of seven. While he was in the United States undergoing pilot training, his father was overthrown during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, forcing the royal family into exile. Since his father’s death in 1980, Pahlavi has emerged as a prominent opponent of the Islamic Republic and an advocate for democracy in Iran.
As demonstrations entered their second week, Mr. Pahlavi has highlighted the protests and called for continued participation, claiming that he’s “never seen an opportunity as we see today in Iran.”
“Iranian people are more than ever committed to bringing an end to this regime, as the world has witnessed the last few days,” he said to Hannity. “The levels of demonstrations are unprecedented in Iran — over 100 cities, millions of people in the streets chanting ‘death to the dictator’ and ‘end to this regime.’”
On Wednesday, Mr. Pahlavi urged Iranians to take part in coordinated chants from their streets or homes at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
“I call on you to begin chanting exactly at this time,” he said in a video message posted to X. “Based on your response, I will announce the next calls to action.”
Pahlavi also used social media to address Iran’s armed forces, urging them to protect civilians and warning that those who continue repression or firing at civilians will be identified and punished. He encouraged the forces to register for a secure “National Collaboration Platform” to declare allegiance to the people and separate themselves from what he described as the regime’s “sinking ship.”
Pahlavi also addressed international audiences in a new op-ed for the Washington Post, published shortly after Trump’s capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
In the op-ed, he described the protests as a potential turning point and praised Trump’s “clear and firm support for the Iranian people,” which has included Trump threatening to take action if the regime kills peaceful protesters.
“For protesters facing prison, torture, or death, knowing they are not alone matters,” he wrote. “For the regime, it is a reminder that intimidation no longer guarantees survival. We saw proof of that in Venezuela.”
In the op-ed, he lays out the specifics of his plan for a peaceful transition of power in Iran, aiming to move the country from decades of clerical rule to a secular democracy. Pahlavi says he created the “Iran Prosperity Project,” a network of more than 100 Iranian experts who have “developed detailed, sector-by-sector plans for an orderly transition that preserves essential services, stabilizes the economy and restores confidence at home and abroad.”
According to Pahlavi, supporting the Iranian protesters is an “investment in global stability” to counter the regime that is known for funding terrorist networks around the world.
The State Department’s Farsi language account has taken an active role in sharing videos from the ongoing protests, including a video on Wednesday evening showing an Iranian renaming a street after President Trump.
“We honor the action of an anonymous individual in Tehran who named a street after President Trump,” the account posted. “The United States respects the voice of the Iranian people and their aspirations.”