Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s Shah Reza Pahlavi, who was deposed in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution, has addressed the country’s residents against the backdrop of an Israeli military operation, expressing hope for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regime to fall soon.
“The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is in the process of collapse. (Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei, like a frightened rat, has hidden in a bunker and lost control of the situation. What has started is irreversible,” the son of the Shah of Iran said, expressing hope that “soon we will be together.”
He held Khamenei and the Iranian government responsible for the conflict with Israel.
The statement came amid growing speculation, citing sources in Israel and the US, that the US might join Israeli strikes on Iran.
Washington has not confirmed such intentions. US President Donald Trump earlier on 17 June called on Iranian authorities for “unconditional surrender”. Earlier, he demanded from the authorities in Tehran to abandon the nuclear programme, which was the reason for Israel to launch the operation.
There are no reports of any large-scale unrest in Iran yet.
Reza Pahlavi lives in the United States. He is the leader of the opposition National Council of Iran, which is banned in Iran. It is extremely difficult to assess his real popularity in Iran under the current circumstances.