Reza Shah, exiled Crown Prince of Iran, tells Khamenei to step down after US strikes

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled eldest son of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah, claimed on Sunday that the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities were a result of the “catastrophic pursuit of nuclear weapons” by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s “terrorist regime”. Pahalvi urged Khamenei to respond to American attacks by “stepping down” from his position for the sake of the Iranian people.
Officially named Crown Prince of Iran in 1967 at the time of his father’s coronation, Reza Pahlavi is an old and familiar voice calling for regime change in Iran.

Until recently, Pahlavi was a figure with little to no say in Iranian affairs. However, he has now become a regular on TV and is calling for a regime change in Iran.

“The strikes on the Islamic Republic’s three nuclear sites are the result of the regime’s catastrophic pursuit of nuclear weapons at the expense of the Iranian people,” he wrote in a post on X.

“Ali Khamenei and his crumbling terrorist regime have failed the nation. As Khamenei considers how to respond from his underground bunker, I say to him: For the sake of the Iranian people, respond by stepping down, so the proud Iranian nation can leave the disastrous period of the Islamic Republic behind and start a new chapter of peace, prosperity and greatness,” Pahlavi added.

He further said that the end of Khamenei’s regime is the only sure way to achieve peace in Iran.

Reza Pahlavi is still considered the Crown Prince of Iran in exile, despite the fall of the monarchy in 1979 after the Islamic revolution.

Under the Shah regime’s leadership, Iran was considered a vibrant nation—a constitutional monarchy with democratic values.

Reza was training as a pilot in the US when his family was forced into exile. After his father’s death in 1981, Reza declared himself the new king of Iran.

US strikes nuclear facilities in Iran

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US military carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites and that Tehran “must now agree to end this war”, following days of speculation over whether the United States would join its ally Israel’s bombing campaign.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, referring to Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.