Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s former crown prince and a prominent opponent of the Islamic Republic, said he is preparing to return to Iran. He stressed that he wants to stand alongside the Iranian people at what he described as the “victory of the national revolution”.
In a video message addressed to protesters, Pahlavi praised the nationwide demonstrations held across Iran over the past two nights and urged demonstrators to prepare to “seize and hold” city centres.
He said the objective at this stage was not simply taking to the streets, but moving through multiple routes towards central areas of cities and acting in a more coordinated manner.
Pahlavi said the courage and resilience shown by Iranian protesters have drawn admiration around the world. Over the past two nights, Thursday and Friday, large crowds took to the streets in several Iranian cities following his call, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic, according to reports.
He described the strong turnout on Friday night as a “crushing response” to threats issued by Iran’s supreme leader. Pahlavi said he believes the leader saw images of the protests from his place of seclusion and was shaken by the scale of the demonstrations.
Iranian authorities have not commented on Pahlavi’s remarks.
