Iran's exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, declared Tuesday that his homeland was approaching a moment of profound transformation, saying the Islamic Republic has exhausted its legitimacy after nearly 47 years in power.
In an opinion piece published Monday in the Washington Post, Pahlavi said protests have escalated in recent days across nearly all provinces and over 100 cities in Iran, with demonstrators chanting his name alongside calls for freedom and national unity.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran today is weaker and more divided than at any point since 1979," wrote Pahlavi, the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran's last shah before the 1979 revolution.
"The courage of these men and women deserves more than sympathy. It demands clarity, preparation and responsible leadership – inside Iran and among those who influence global affairs. Because Iran's liberation will mean much more than a restoration of dignity to Iranians. It will bring a global peace dividend of almost unimaginable proportions," he adds.
He said he has stepped forward to lead a national transition to democracy, describing his role as "a steward of a national transition" rather than a ruler-in-waiting. His stated goal is to unite Iran's diverse democratic forces around three principles: territorial integrity, protection of individual liberties and equality of all citizens, and separation of church and state.
Pahlavi cited human rights organizations reporting that at least 1,500 executions were carried out in Iran from January to early December of last year, describing this as a sharp rise from 2024. He said religious minorities including Christians, Jews and Baha'is face systematic persecution.
"Despite this pressure, the Iranian people persist. In recent days, protests have escalated in nearly all provinces and over 100 cities across Iran. Protesters are chanting my name alongside calls for freedom and national unity. I do not interpret this as an invitation to claim power. I bear it as a profound responsibility. It reflects a recognition – inside Iran – that our nation needs a unifying figure to help guide a transition away from tyranny and toward a democratic future chosen by the people themselves."
He then went on to explain how he could deliver the change Iranians without replacing one authoritarian government with another one. "For a number of years, I have developed the Iran Prosperity Project, a growing network of more than one hundred Iranian experts in economics, law, energy, governance, public health and infrastructure. Together, they 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," he wrote. "There will be no power vacuum. There will be continuity of institutions where possible, accountability where necessary and a constitutional process, conducted transparently and under international observation, that allows Iranians to decide their own system of governance for the first time in generations."
Pahlavi also said his team has established secure channels for members of the regime's institutions who wish to break with the clerical government. He said a platform launched via Iran International, a satellite news network, has received engagement from tens of thousands seeking to signal their willingness to defect.
He welcomed President Donald Trump's support for the Iranian people, saying Trump's message that the United States stands with those seeking freedom has resonated inside Iran.
Pahlavi argued that a democratic Iran would bring stability to the Middle East rather than continued crisis, saying the Islamic Republic has fueled regional conflict and pursued nuclear blackmail for nearly 47 years.
He called on the international community to support what he described as a responsible transition, saying the Iranian people need "a world prepared to support" their movement toward democracy.
"Do not simply observe the birth of a new Iran. Work with us to ensure that it is peaceful, stable and worthy of the sacrifices its people are making," he wrote. "The Iranian people are moving forward with courage and determination. What they need now is a world prepared to support a responsible transition. The time is now," he stressed.
