While crowd across Iran have chanted “death to the dictator” [the Supreme Leader] and called for “Reza, Reza Pahlavi,” the crown prince himself has set out how he thinks the regime in Iran should come to an end, and what will then happen to Iranian-Israel relations. More on his discussion of Iran’s future can be found here: “Pahlavi dismisses calls for US-led regime change in Iran, predicts ‘Cyrus Accord’ with Israel,” by James Genn, Jerusalem Post, January 6, 2026:
Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi does not believe that it is necessary for the US to extract Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and put him on trial for his crimes, downplaying chatter that the US military may conduct such an operation, similar to the extraction of Maduro from Caracas, Venezuela.
Pahlavi’s comments came during an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Tunku Varadarajan via Zoom, published on Monday.
“I think that change in Iran is ultimately in the hands of the people of Iran themselves,” he affirmed.
“Many governments have reasons to hold Khamenei accountable, but I think it will be far more appropriate for this to be solely in the hands of the Iranian people, and to have world governments be supportive” of their fight to free themselves, he added.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of any kind of outside intervention, either a military or a special ops kind, because I think the regime is collapsing. The regime is at its weakest.”
The crown prince insists that Iranians themselves must be in charge of their own destiny. It is much better if they themselves topple the regime, instead of having outsiders do it. This would give the new regime its greatest legitimacy. He sees the future Iran as a constitutional monarchy, with the crown prince as the largely symbolic head of state (akin to King Charles in England). Trump has already done enough to support the current protests by warning the regime not to kill protesters, for if it does, then he may attack Iran’s security forces, including the most menacing troops supporting the current regime, the troops of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). But that does not mean a large-sale invasion by American troops is necessary. Strikes from the sky from American fighter jets should be enough to ensure that the army and the IRGC stick to batons rather than bullets. On the ground, those protesters, who are now all over the country, will then find those regime enforcers who will no longer dare to shoot them down largely unintimidating.
Neither Obama nor Biden were prepared to support the protesters in the past. Obama did not lift a finger to help the 2009 Green Movement, which the government quickly suppressed. Biden was even worse in 2022, when there were protests following the killing of Mahsa Amini. He did not punish Iran in order to change its behavior, but instead allowed the Iranian government access to $200 billion in oil revenue that the U.S. could have withheld.
That $200 billion went to pay both for Iran’s nuclear program and for supporting, with money and weapons, its three main proxies — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. That is why the protesters today shout “No to Gaza, No to Lebanon. My life for Iran.”
Iran is how suffering a historic drought, its worst in modern times. Lakes and rivers have dried up; many dams are as a consequence no longer working, and electricity blackouts are frequent. Some in the current government have suggested that Tehran’s entire population of ten million may, because of the drought, have to be moved to other areas where there is more water. The crown prince knows that Israel is a world leader in the husbanding of water use through drip irrigation, in desalination, and in the production of water out of the ambient air by use of the WaterGen machine produced by Israeli scientists. Israel has a great deal to offer in the management of water resources and Iran has a great need for such expertise. A new and democratic regime in Iran, not the one now in power that rants endlessly about destroying the Little Satan, will be able to take advantage of what Israeli hydrologists have to offer.
The protests across Iran show no signs of diminishing. Most of the chants now are not about economic matters, as in 2019, or about the mistreatment of women following the beating to death of Mahsa Amini by the religious police for failing to adjust her hijab properly in 2022, but about the regime itself: “Death to the dictator!” and “Reza, Reza Pahlavi.”
Reza Pahlavi has no ambition to be a ruler in his father’s stern vein; he has repeatedly said he would serve only if the Iranians want him, and that he would remain, as a head of state, largely above the political fray. So far he has not made a false move. And were Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to become that head of state, which seems more likely with each passing day of the protests across Iran, he is certain to make sure that Iran and Israel are once again friends and allies, as they were so durably during his father’s reign.
Walter Sieruk says
The viewers of this site , no doubt , have notice that with President Trump and his administration in power in Washington DC ,the Iranian people have then started to revolt against that horrendously cruel opressive and even murderous Islamic tyrannical regime of Iran .
In contrast , back when Joe Biden was sitting in the Oval Office of the White House masquerading as genuine US President , that fiendish treacherous villain , Biden , only funded and supported in different insidious ways that horrific brutal Islamic tyranny of Iran , therefore the Iranian people weren’t able rise up to overthrow those vicious and death infecting despots of Iran.
This is all very interesting.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Latest from Iran: Police and military defecting to the anti-islamic side, while Reza Pahlavi calls on them to protect the people, rather than oppress them, and promising those who do an effective amnesty for their past crimes against the people
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxyVidjRpHM
࿗Infidel࿘ says
One more thing: Iranian Kurds had called for a strike in Iran today, and since then, Pahlavi had joined them and called for one as well
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601067149
John Smith says
Thanks for the links Infidel,
Cynthia says
From his mouth to God’s ears. We are all afraid that the wounded beast that is the Islamic Republic will now lash out with overwhelming force and will ruthlessly torture those arrested.
We are praying for the Iranians and the restoration of their human rights.
Rarely says
So the plan(hope) is for a switch to a free, democratic country.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if they elected a socialist government. How would the U.S. (i.e. Trump) react?
The same question for Venezuela.
It is most likely that both countries would want to retain ownership of their natural resources (including oil, of course) and not be prepared to turn control over to foreign companies. That policy has been very successful for oil producing Gulf nations.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I agree that street protests may not be a final indicator of popular mood, but in all the cities where uprisings have happened, which is now most of Iran, the chants that are going on are “Javid Shah” (long live the king), “The final battle is on, Pahlavi will return”… Demonstrators have, for the first time, escalated their slogan “Death to the dictator” (which has the tiniest element of ambiguity to it) to “Death to Khamenei”. In the protests I saw today, they’re burning Iran’s current flag 🇮🇷 and flying the previous Iranian flag that had the 🦁☀️ in the middle. Also among the slogans are ones denouncing not just the islamic regime, but also the Leftists. I think it’s a safe bet that they won’t vote socialist
Also, the transition plan, should the regime fall, is to declare Iran a secular democratic country, and then have a referendum on what sort of a government Iranians want – a republic or a monarchy. In case it’s the latter, Reza Pahlavi has already said that he’s not interested in having the same sort of powers his father had, but that he’d be more of a titular head, like King Charles. Presumably, the government would then be led by a prime minister, determined by elections
Incidentally, while this is ultimately a decision by Iranians, I don’t completely agree w/ the idea of him being just a titular head. Iran may not be Iraq or Afghanistan, but it’s not Britain, Belgium or Norway either. People there are used to kings who actually rule, and have executive power. He need not have all the power that MbS has, on the other side of the Gulf, but he does need to have certain powers, such as power over the armed forces and intelligence, to keep things stable, even while people are allowed the freedom to not just elect governments but also support or oppose whichever policies they may or may not like
Taffy says
The mere fact that the Ayatollah is now threatening United States and Israel with retaliation if they should bomb Iran, his indicative that his regime is about to collapse. It seems that the IRGC and the.Quds Force are the only ones that can put an end to the revolution, but only with a full military assault on the protesters. I do believe that Trump has had that course of action off at the pass, and pretty soon the IRGC and the Quds force will fall into line and support Pahlavi as the new leader of a constitutional monarchy.
I am also pretty sure that although Khomeini has no problem with others martyring themselves for Allah, he himself would not do that.
If he frees to Russia, he will have to lay low. The Russians will not put up with any Muslim crap in their country.
Troybeam says
how much freedom do the Iranian people want? If they win will they walk away from Islam’s dangerous rules . Will Pahlavi be like his father The Shah and have Iran once again have western life, schools clothing etc.
the people will have to work hard to create the life they think they want but what I do know is that the United States cannot bring the Iranian people into America.
John Smith says
Troybeam, if this movement is successful (and I extremely hope it is) I believe it could mark the end of islam in Iran. There are still many people in Iran today who remember the freedoms that they had in the seventies. They are living in a completely different world today and there is a longing to go back.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Reza Pahlavi is on record as saying that the first thing the transition team he’s putting together will do is declare Iran to be a secular and democratic country. Other things, such as whether it should remain a republic or revert to a monarchy, and what type, are things to be determined in a referendum
I do think that Western culture may make a comeback in Iran. One thing they might consider is doing something that Ataturk did next door in Turkey: replacing the Nastaliq script w/ the Roman one for writing and reading Farsi, since the script is an Arabic script that accompanied the islamization of Iran in the 8th century. Also, while those Iranians who remain muslims may continue to follow the 5 pillars of islam, islam needs to be tightly controlled and regulated in a new Iran, if it’s not banned outright. Things like jihad (obviously), ashura self-flaggelation, honor killings, child marriage…. has to be banned, and there can be no shariah law, not even for practising muslims
John Smith says
Troybeam, if this movement is successful (and I extremely hope it is) I believe it could mark the end of islam in Iran. There are still many people in Iran today who remember the freedoms that they had in the seventies. They are living in a completely different world today and there is a longing to go back.
Voltaic says
No Kings.
No Princes.
Is Pahlavi some kind of ornamental flower that will bloom in the Iranian wilderness ? And, look, doesn’t need water -champagne will do.
Why is Monarchy the assumed alternative to Theocracy?
Israel and the USA have no need for ornamental Royals who, like Megan and Harry, blight the public discourse with their PRIVATE! lives.
(And there’s Denmark which has no money to fund the security of Greenland but has an idle prince who famously picked up an Australian wife, flashing his black American Express card in a Sydney pub.)
࿗Infidel࿘ says
It’s up to what the people of Iran want. If you are not Iranian, you have no business telling them what sort of government they may or may not have
Huh?!? says
Water, Water, everywhere and the Iranians can’t get a drop. Isreal and Uncle Sam can get you water. Let the two of them do the Art of the Deal with Iran. To agree on a comment I read, no, do not import Iranians to the West. Deport Islamists out of the U.S. I agree with Pahlavi. Sounds good. I pray he will live up to his lofty words.