‘Islamic Republic is collapsing’ - Former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi says transitional plan is ready for post-regime government

Former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi addressed his Iranian countrymen in a speech in Farsi posted to social media on Tuesday. 

In the speech, Pahlavi said, “The Islamic Republic has reached its end and is in the process of collapsing.”  

The former crown prince, who is popular among many expatriate Iranians in the West, referred to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “a frightened rat” who is “hiding underground.”  

“Khamenei, like a frightened rat, has gone into hiding underground and has lost control of the situation,” Pahlavi said. 

As in previous messages, Pahlavi took a bold and hopeful tone about the current situation in Iran. 

“What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together, we will pass through this sharp turn in history,” he encouraged the Iranian people. 

My Fellow Countrymen,

The Islamic Republic has reached its end and is in the process of collapsing. Khamenei, like a frightened rat, has gone into hiding underground and has lost control of the situation. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together, we… https://t.co/XEyL5IM05t

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) June 17, 2025

Pahlavi also laid the blame for the conflict, including any casualties, squarely on “Khamenei’s warmongering and delusions.” 

“In these difficult days, my heart is with all the defenseless citizens who have been harmed and have fallen victim to Khamenei's warmongering and delusions,” Phalavi stated. “For years, I have tried to prevent our homeland from being consumed by the fire of war.” 

He said that “The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation.” 

Encouraging the people of Iran to rise up against the regime, he stated, “All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.” 

“Now is the time to rise; the time to reclaim Iran. Let us all come forward – from Bandar Abbas to Bandar Anzali, from Shiraz to Isfahan, from Tabriz to Zahedan, from Mashhad to Ahvaz, from Shahr-e Kord to Kermanshah – and bring about the end of this regime.” 

Continuing his message of hope, Pahlavi said that there is a plan for a 100-day “transitional period, and for the establishment of a national and democratic government – by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people.” 

The former crown prince called on “military, law enforcement, security forces, and state employees,” urging them to “not stand against the Iranian people for the sake of a regime whose fall has begun and is inevitable.” 

“Do not sacrifice yourselves for a decaying regime,” he pleaded with them. “By standing with the people, you can save your lives. Play a historic role in the transition from the Islamic Republic, and take part in building the future of Iran.” 

“A free and flourishing Iran lies ahead of us. May we be together soon,” Pahlavi said in closing. 

“Long live Iran! Long live the Iranian nation!” 

Pahlavi, who has been an outspoken supporter of a democratic reform and regime change in Iran for many years, has also called for a return to strong relations between the people of Iran and the nation of Israel. 

Shortly before the outbreak of the Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza War, Pahlavi and his wife visited Israel, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other coalition leaders, along with All Israel News Editor-in-Chief Joel C. Rosenberg. In that visit, Pahlavi also met with Rabbi Leo Dee, whose wife and daughters were murdered in a Palestinian terror attack just days before the crown prince’s arrival. 

Citing the “biblical history” between the two peoples, Pahlavi said he dreamed of a Cyrus Accords, while offering prayers at the Western Wall. 

“So said Cyrus, the king of Persia, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of the heavens delivered to me, and He commanded me to build Him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judea.’” – Hebrew Bible, Ezra 1:2

2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great liberated the Jewish people from… pic.twitter.com/HIVOj5RvoZ

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 18, 2023

Pahlavi has also said that Israel would be a great aid to his country in addressing the water crisis the nation has faced for several years. 

In the summer of 2023, Pahlavi reiterated his statement that the fall of the Islamic regime would have a positive effect on the entire region, and again expressed his desire for strategic agreement between Israel and Persia. 

Pahlavi previously released a message to the Iranian people, at the beginning of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, where he said the operation could lead to the fall of the regime. 

In keeping with his greater public stance as a friend of Israel in recent years, Pahlavi has maintained private communications with Israeli politicians since his visit. In May, after the killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim at the Capital Jewish Museum, Pahlavi offered condolences to the Lischinsky family for Yaron’s death, the family shared. 

On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also urged the Iranian people to take advantage of what he called a historic opportunity to topple the Islamic regime. 

“A light has been lit – carry it to freedom,” Netanyahu told the London-based Iran International, which has ties to Iranian opposition groups.