Reza Pahlavi: 5 things to know about the man who wants to be Iran’s next leader
5. Pahlavi has taken a more assertive public stance in recent months as pressure on Iran intensified
After advocating nonviolent change for more than four decades, he has encouraged protesters to remain in the streets and “claim public spaces” while calling for stronger action against the regime’s repressive machinery, Axios reports.
He has urged Washington to target the “architecture of repression,” including command and control structures of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the powerful military force that underpins the clerical establishment.
Following Saturday’s U.S.-Israeli strikes, Pahlavi said assistance promised by the U.S. to Iranians had arrived and that the intervention was directed at the Islamic Republic’s apparatus of repression. He also urged U.S. officials to exercise caution to protect civilians.
He has warned that the Iranian government is at a critical turning point and has repeatedly encouraged Iranians to prepare for sustained pressure on the system.
At the same time, he has stepped up engagement with Western policymakers, arguing they should be ready for potential political change in Iran and support internal dissent rather than rely solely on diplomacy or direct military confrontation.
