Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Sunday that his country was not an Islamic Republic and the current regime must be ‘dismantled’ to protect the Middle East nation. Pahlavi, who now lives in exile in the United States (US), also asked American President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep targeting Islamic regime in Iran.
However, the 65-year-old said that the US and Israel should spare the civilian infrastructure in Iran, as that would be required in rebuilding the country. In a post on micro-blogging website X (formerly Twitter), Pahlavi also stated that the “hour of Iran’s freedom is at hand”, thanks to the support of the US, Israel and the “sacrifice of Iranian patriots”.
“Iran is not the Islamic Republic,” he said. “Iranโs civilian infrastructure belongs to the Iranian people and to the future of a free Iran. The Islamic Republicโs infrastructure is the machinery of repression and terror used to keep that future from becoming reality. Iran must be protected. The regime must be dismantled.”
Pahlavi, who was undergoing air force training in the US during the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, has regularly criticised the Iranian regime and called for a change in power. He has repeatedly supported the US strikes and had even hinted on a possible return to the country after a regime change. Last month, he received a boost after some pro-monarchy rallies were organised in several US cities and also in Germany’s Munich.
Coming to the conflict, war is still going on in the Middle East and has only intensified. The US and Israel have kept targeting critical Iranian military and energy infrastructure, and warned of intensifying strikes if Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.ย
In response, Iran has also intensified its strikes and is targeting all US bases in the region. Iran has warned that it target all its enemies no matter wherever they are. Talking about the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has said that it is only closed for its enemies, while adding that it is ready to work with its neighbours and international organisations for enhancing maritime security.ย ย
ย