The exiled prince of Iran has proposed leading the country’s democratic transition to end the Islamic Republic in a new speech Monday.
“It is more evident than ever today: The Islamic Republic is on the brink of collapse,” declared Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Iran’s last monarch, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. “Reliable sources suggest that the family of Ali Khamenei, along with families of top regime officials, are planning to flee from Iran. The regime’s grip is weakening across cities and towns nationwide. The military is divided. The people are unified. The very foundations of this 46-year dictatorship are trembling.”
“This is our Berlin Wall moment,” Pahlavi said from a press conference he called in Paris.
“To those among you who are devoted to the Iranian people and not the Islamic Republic, there is a place for you in a democratic Iran if you align with the populace now,” Pahlavi urged. “The decision is in your hands. I am aware of these officers, these soldiers, these courageous individuals, because they are reaching out to me, expressing their desire to participate in this national liberation. However, more extensive coordination is necessary.”
Pahlavi revealed his initiative to create “a structured channel for military, security, and police personnel to communicate directly with me, my team, and our growing operation.” He assured them of “a secure platform designed to effectively handle the increasing number of communications and requests from those defecting from the regime and looking to join our cause.”
He said the international community was right to be concerned about stopping nuclear weapons and securing regional stability. Although the destruction of the three nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow has “diminished the regime’s domestic nuclear enrichment,” Pahlavi warned that the U.S. strikes did “not diminish the regime’s intent to acquire and use nuclear weapons.”
“The regime, enraged and emboldened, will be seeking revenge and can acquire nuclear weapons from other rogue regimes like North Korea,” he said. “The destruction of the regime’s nuclear facilities alone will not deliver peace.”
Reza Pahlavi holds a press conference in Paris on June 23, 2025. (JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)
Pahlavi said he was “stepping forward to lead this national transition – not out of personal interest but as a servant of the Iranian people.” He said he has a “clear plan for transition and national renewal” based on three core principles: Iran’s territorial integrity; individual liberties and equality of all citizens; and separation of religion and state. Pahlavi proposed convening a “national unity summit” of activists, dissidents, business leaders, professionals, experts and other groups outside of politics.
The goal would be for them to together develop a roadmap to democratic transition, and he said the “final form of this future democracy we seek will be for the Iranian people to decide in a national referendum.”
Pahlavi also said he developed a three-phase, comprehensive plan for the “economic reconstruction and social stabilization” of the country. He promised that his team of experts “will publish the plans for the first 100 days after the collapse of the Islamic Republic based on this work.”
“We are bringing together some of the world’s greatest investors, builders, entrepreneurs, and experts who care about Iran and see its immense potential,” he said.
Before opting for U.S. military intervention, President Donald Trump reportedly was working with Turkey to coordinate a diplomatic resolution to the Israel-Iran conflict and cut a nuclear deal, but the ayatollah did not engage. According to Axios, sources said Trump offered to send Vice President JD Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff for negotiations, and Trump offered to come to Turkey himself if it meant meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Turkey relayed the proposal to its Iranian counterparts, who reportedly could not reach Khamenei for hours. Without the ayatollah’s sign-off, the proposed meeting was called off.
