Former Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi estimated that the regime in Tehran could be months away from collapse but emphasized the importance of Western democracies providing aid in achieving that goal.
At an event hosted by the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, the son of Iran's late Shah said on Wednesday that the present atmosphere in his home country reminds him of the days before his father was overthrown in 1978.
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"People smell the opportunity for the first time in 40 years," he said.
"This time is very different from 2009, even very different from 1997. The people have had it. Today's generation of young Iranians cannot take it anymore. They want to have an opportunity for a better future. They want to be on the path of modernity and freedom. The only thing that stands between them and the free world is this regime."
LIVE at 12PM: @PahlaviReza joins Hudson Senior Fellow @Doranimated for a conversation on the future of Iran and rising tensions in the region.
WATCH: https://t.co/FWjv2w9Wk5
— Hudson Institute (@HudsonInstitute) January 15, 2020
Pahlavi further outlined his plan for regime change, which would see Iran turn into a "multiparty system." He urged Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to stand back in order to "facilitate a smoother transition based on my strategy of non-violent civil disobedience."
The former crown prince, who now lives in Maryland, stressed he is not interested in going back to Iran to reclaim his throne.
Speaking to the conservative National Interest, he said: "I'd like to be on this side of the fence, facing the authorities and defending people's rights so that we can establish a true democracy rather than to be in a position of governance or authority, having to be accountable to the people."
This article was originally published by i24NEWS
