'Step down, you'll get a fair trial': Exiled crown prince tells Khamenei

Exiled Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi urges Ayatollah Khamenei to resign, pledging a fair trial and peaceful transition as Iran teeters under pressure from within and conflict with Israel

As tensions escalate between Iran and Israel, exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has warned that the Islamic Republic is nearing collapse. He urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down voluntarily and allow a peaceful transition of power.

 

Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, claimed that senior officials within the regime are preparing to flee the country. He issued a direct appeal to Iran’s Supreme Leader.

 

“The Islamic Republic is collapsing. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others are trying to flee Iran... I have a direct message for Ali Khamenei: step down. If you do, you’ll receive a fair trial and due process of law,” he said.

 

Warns West against supporting Tehran

 

Pahlavi also addressed world leaders, cautioning them against extending political or financial support to the current Iranian regime. He warned that any such intervention would only worsen the crisis.

 

“If the West throws the regime a lifeline, there will be more bloodshed and chaos. Because this regime will not submit or surrender after it has been humiliated. It will lash out as long as it is in power; no country and no people are safe—whether on the streets of Washington, Paris, Jerusalem, Riyadh or Tehran,” he said. 

 

Offers to guide peaceful democratic transition

 

Reaching out to the Iranian people, Pahlavi positioned himself as a transitional figure committed to a peaceful and democratic future for the country. He stated unequivocally that he is not seeking political power.

 

“I am here today to submit myself to my compatriots to lead them down this road of peace and democratic transition. I do not seek political power, but rather to help our great nation navigate through this critical hour towards stability, freedom, and justice,” he said.

 

Nuclear tensions heighten urgency

 

Pahlavi’s remarks follow recent US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, a response to what he described as Khamenei’s “catastrophic pursuit of nuclear weapons” by a “terrorist regime.”

 

His comments come at a time of heightened regional instability, with Iran’s internal policies and its widening conflict with Israel drawing global scrutiny and raising fears of broader escalation.