Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah has hailed United States and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets.
He described the military action as a turning point and calling on Iranians to prepare for what he termed the “final battle.”
The strikes, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, targeted missile and military infrastructure in Iranian cities, including Tehran.
Trump said Washington’s objective was to eliminate “imminent threats,” declaring that U.S. forces would “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.”
In a Saturday message posted on X in Arabic and later translated into English, Pahlavi wrote: “Moments of destiny lie ahead of us.”
He said, “The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived.
“This is a humanitarian intervention; and its target is the Islamic Republic, its repressive apparatus, and its machinery of slaughter—not the country and great nation of Iran.”
Pahlavi said that despite the strikes, responsibility for political change rests with Iranians themselves.
“But, even with the arrival of this aid, the final victory will still be forged by our hands,” he wrote, adding that. “It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish the job in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is near.”
Addressing members of Iran’s armed forces and security services, Pahlavi wrote: “You have sworn an oath to protect Iran and the Iranian people—not the Islamic Republic and its leaders.
“Your duty is to defend the people, not a regime that has taken our homeland hostage through repression and crime.
“Join the people and help bring about a stable and secure transition,” he added.
“Otherwise, you will go down with Khamenei’s sinking ship and his regime,” referring to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Pahlavi also addressed Trump directly: “The noble people of Iran, despite the savage repression and massacres of this regime, stood firm with courage for nearly two months.”
“I now ask you to exercise the utmost caution to preserve the lives of civilians and my compatriots,” he wrote. “The people of Iran are your natural allies and those of the free world, and they will never forget your support in the most difficult period in contemporary Iranian history.”
While urging eventual street mobilization, he instructed supporters to remain indoors for the time being.
“In these sensitive hours and days, more than ever, we must stay focused on our ultimate goal: reclaiming Iran,” he wrote. “I ask you to remain in your homes for now and preserve your safety and security. Stay vigilant and ready so that, at the appropriate time—which I will announce to you precisely—you can return to the streets for the final action.”
“Follow my messages through social media and satellite media,” he added. “If there are disruptions to the internet and satellite, I will stay in touch with you via radio waves.”
“We are very close to final victory,” Pahlavi concluded. “I want to be by your side as soon as possible so that together we can take back and rebuild Iran. Long live Iran.”
Pahlavi, born in 1960, is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Farah Diba. A political activist living in exile in the United States, he is widely known as a prominent opponent of Iran’s Islamic Republic.
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