Iran is close to collapse, says exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi
Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi on Friday urged the international community to take urgent action against Tehran’s ruling establishment, claiming that the Islamic Republic is “close to collapse” and warning that continued global inaction would only increase the loss of life.
Addressing a packed news conference in Washington, Pahlavi said the current crisis in Iran was not a choice between reform and revolution but a struggle “between occupation and liberation.”
“The so-called Islamic Republic is not the government of Iran,” he said. “It is a hostile occupying force that hijacked our homeland.”
Pahlavi accused the regime of carrying out mass violence against civilians, alleging that more than 12,000 Iranians were killed within 48 hours during the crackdown. He claimed protesters were hunted even after being injured.
“The Khomeini killers even hunted wounded protesters in hospitals and executed them in cold blood,” he said, alleging that families were forced to pay for the bullets used to kill their relatives before the bodies were returned.
Despite the violence, Pahlavi said the regime’s grip on power was weakening. “The Islamic Republic is close to collapse,” he said, adding that the leadership was lashing out “like a wounded animal, desperate to cling to power.”
Calling for immediate international action, Pahlavi outlined six measures, beginning with civilian protection. He urged governments to degrade the regime’s repressive capacity by targeting the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its command-and-control infrastructure.
He also called for tougher economic pressure, including freezing Iranian assets worldwide and dismantling what he described as Tehran’s “ghost tanker” network. Pahlavi stressed the need for unrestricted internet access inside Iran, urging the deployment of Starlink and other secure communication tools.
He further demanded diplomatic isolation of Tehran, calling for the expulsion of Iranian diplomats and legal action against those responsible for crimes against humanity, while pressing for the immediate release of political prisoners.
Rejecting claims of foreign interference, Pahlavi said supporting Iranians was a matter of global security. “This is not charity, nor unwarranted interference,” he said, arguing that international stability depended on ending “47 years of exported terror.”
He insisted foreign military intervention was unnecessary. “This does not require boots on the ground,” he said. “The Iranian people’s boots are already on the ground.”
Pahlavi said the regime would fall regardless of outside action but stressed that swift international intervention could save lives. “It will fall sooner and more lives will be saved if the world turns words into action,” he said.
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