28.01.2026 23:13
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's deposed leader Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, speaking to the Israeli press, called for international assistance against the Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Claiming that the Iranian people are calling for him to lead, Pahlavi argued that helping the protesters to overthrow the regime would provide a strategic benefit for the entire world.
The exiled son of Iran's deposed leader Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Reza Pahlavi, spoke to the Israel-based Jerusalem Post newspaper.
"THE PEOPLE OF IRAN ARE CALLING ME TO LEADERSHIP"
Pahlavi stated that the people of Iran took to the streets "more boldly than ever before" at the end of December 2025 and the beginning of January 2026. Claiming that the Iranian people are calling for him to lead, the son of the deposed Shah of Iran asserted that the Tehran regime is weaker than ever, and that the people are more united in their criticism of not only economic conditions but the system itself, noting that millions took to the streets on January 8-9.
CALL FOR 'HELP' TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Pahlavi noted that the Iranian regime has resorted to violence against the people, stating, "Now is the time for the international community to help them." He emphasized that the Iranian society must decide its own future, arguing that assisting the Iranian people in overthrowing the regime would provide a strategic benefit for the entire world and that the protesters are fighting to free the world from the regime.
"11 TIMES MORE PEOPLE HAVE DIED THAN ON 9/11"
The exiled son of the deposed Shah of Iran suggested that assistance should be provided to the Iranian people not only for humanitarian needs but also for strategic needs, without specifying what those strategic needs are. Pahlavi claimed that the regime has cut off communication and relies on the Revolutionary Guards' repression mechanism to survive, telling the Israeli newspaper, "Consider that in the protests, 29 times more people have died since October 7, and 11 times more than on September 11."
CRITICISM OF OBAMA AND BIDEN, PRAISE FOR TRUMP
Pahlavi pointed out that the international conditions are different from previous protests, stating that former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden abandoned the protesters in Iran, while today, U.S. President Donald Trump's words encourage the protesters.
PROTESTS IN IRAN
Protests that began on December 28, 2025, led by merchants in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran, spread across the country due to the rapid devaluation of the local currency against foreign currencies and the deepening economic troubles.
Following the escalation of protests in the capital Tehran on January 8, the country's administration blocked internet access. In recent days, after the protests ended, internet access has been partially and limitedly restored.
In a statement on January 21, based on the Forensic Medicine Institution of the Iranian Martyrs and Veterans Foundation, it was announced that 3,117 people, including security forces and civilians, lost their lives during the incidents that occurred during the protests.
The U.S.-based Iran Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that 6,126 people lost their lives in the incidents during the protests, and 41,880 people were detained.