Exiled Iranian Crown Prince says regime crumbling after Khamenei death

The Islamic Republic is “collapsing” and Iranians are ready to take back their country, a week after US and Israeli military operations shook the regime, exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Saturday.

The operations, which began last week, resulted in the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 50 other regime figures, creating what Pahlavi described as a pivotal moment for change.

“The situation on the ground is that people were clearly waiting for the opportunity to take to the streets and take back their country. We are seeing more and more elements of the regime collapse. A lot of people across the country are ready to step in, and that’s exactly what’s needed for a successful and stable transition,” he said during an appearance on Fox News’ “My View” with Lara Trump.

Following the death of the religious leader, Pahlavi said that the Iranian people will not accept any outcome from the current regime.

“Only a clean break will ensure that we not only reach a democratic solution and alternative to this regime, but also people who are not directly associated with this regime in any way or form,” he said.

Pahlavi, son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, called for a transition of power from theocracy to democracy and said he would guide that transition, facilitated by a coalition of forces including people inside Iran and members of the country’s military.

“The transition involves leaving the Iranian people with this choice, and only the ballot box should determine the outcome and who will be in charge of our country in the future,” he said. “I think we can expect any government, including the current Trump administration, to recognize that the best way to help the Iranian people is to let them make that choice freely and support that choice as a Western democracy, the leading democracy in the world.”

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Reza Pahlavi, Iranian opposition leader and son of the last shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, holds a press conference in Paris on June 23, 2025. (Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images)

When asked whether other forms of government were possible, Pahlavi said Iranians would not settle for “anything less than a democratic outcome.”

“I cannot see any permanent, defensible, acceptable formula other than democracy. “The only way for people to accept the outcome is to make sure they take responsibility for their own destiny,” he said. “And I don’t think there’s any other way that can guarantee that other than a democratic system.” This is the recipe for stability, long-term progress and the guarantee of the protection of all rights of all citizens.“

Pahlavi argued that a democratic Iran would bring greater regional stability and create significant economic opportunities for the United States.

He said the Iranian market has been closed off for nearly half a century, adding that the US economy could see more than $1 trillion in revenue over the first decade of the new Iranian leadership.

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The sun sets behind a rising cloud of smoke following a US-Israeli military offensive in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

“As a democracy, Iranians will be determined to establish an element of cordial relations with our neighbors, to bring peace to the region, to bring an element of stability that will ultimately help development, prosperity, which will be good for us, but also good for our partners,” he said. “I think America has a lot to gain as a result of this. Once the dust settles and we reach this future, remember that Iran is open to economic opportunities.”

Pahlavi has been living in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the Iranian monarchy and established the Islamic Republic. In recent years he has sought to position himself as a unifying opposition figure.

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