Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi stated on Saturday that he is prepared to lead Iran’s transition “as soon as the Islamic Republic falls.”
As the conflict in Iran entered its third week, Pahlavi — the son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — shared that he has spent recent months developing a transition plan for if the Iranian regime collapses, to ensure the country does not face a disruption in governance.
Pahlavi revealed in a social media post that “capable individuals” have been identified both inside and outside Iran to lead what he calls a “transitional system.”
“Under my leadership, this transitional system will be ready to take on governance of the country as soon as the Islamic Republic falls, and will establish order, security, freedom, and the conditions for Iran’s prosperity and flourishing in the shortest possible time,” he stated.
Pahlavi has lived in exile ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled Iran’s monarchy and established the Islamic Republic.
Over recent years, he has sought to position himself as a unifying opposition figure, and has shared that he would help guide a transition of power from theocracy to democracy in Iran.
In a message addressed to his “compatriots,” Pahlavi said his plan for governing the country would fall within the framework of the “Iran Prosperity Project.”
He noted that many fellow citizens with valuable experience and expertise have declared “their readiness to participate in rebuilding the country and serving the homeland.”
Since joint operations between the U.S. and Israel began, nearly 50 regime figures have been killed, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was elected this week by Iran’s Assembly of Experts as the country’s new supreme leader.
During an appearance last week on “My View” with Lara Trump, Pahlavi said the Iranian people would not accept any outcome moving forward tied to the current regime.
“Only a clean break will ensure that not only do we achieve a democratic solution and alternative to this regime, but there will be people who have no direct ties whatsoever to this regime,” he said.
Pahlavi said the Iranian people must decide their country’s leadership and that “only the ballot box should determine the outcome and who will be responsible for our country in the future.”
“I believe that all governments, including of course the current Trump administration, should recognize that the best way to help the Iranian people is to allow them to make that choice freely, and to support that choice as a Western democracy, the leading democracy in the world,” he said.