Reza Pahlavi urges Iranians to come to streets after US-Israel strikes

Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah and the foremost opposition figure currently living in exile, has posted on X on Saturday, urging his fellow countrymen to prepare to come to the streets in order to take control of their country amid the strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran.

The former prince's comments follow those of US President Donald Trump, who announced that the US is now actively targeting several locations across Iran, along with Israel, according to media reports.

"Dear compatriots, fateful moments lie ahead of us. The help that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived," Pahlavi said in a statement addressed to the Iranian people.

Pahlavi described the operation as a humanitarian intervention targeting the Islamic Republic's apparatus of repression rather than the Iranian nation.

"This is a humanitarian intervention, and its target is the Islamic Republic, its apparatus of suppression and its killing machine, not the country and great nation of Iran," he said.

He directed a message to Iran's military, law enforcement and security forces, urging them to side with the people rather than the regime.

"You have sworn to be the guardians of Iran and the Iranian nation, not the guardians of the Islamic Republic and its leaders," he said.

"Join the nation and help bring about a stable and secure transition. Otherwise, you will drown with the sinking ship of Khamenei and his regime."

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Pahlavi also addressed US President Donald Trump directly, asking him to take maximum precautions to protect civilian lives.

"The noble people of Iran, despite the savage suppression and killings of this regime, stood bravely for nearly two months. I now ask you to exercise the utmost caution to preserve the lives of civilians and my compatriots," he said.

"The people of Iran are your natural allies and those of the free world, and they will never forget your help in the most difficult period of contemporary Iranian history."

He told Iranians to remain at home for now, saying he would inform them of the precise moment to take to the streets for what he called the final act.

"Stay in your homes and maintain your calm and safety. Be alert and ready so that at the right time, which I will inform you of precisely, you return to the streets for the final action," Pahlavi said.

He added that if internet and satellite services were disrupted, he would communicate via radio frequencies, and closed by saying he hoped to be among Iranians as soon as possible to rebuild the country together.

"We are very close to final victory. Iran will endure," Pahlavi said.