Reza Pahlavi: Exiled son of Iran's last shah wants supreme leader to step down

Amidst the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, has positioned himself as a potential leader of a "democratic transition" in Iran.

At a press conference in Paris, Pahlavi directly called on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to “step down,” promising that he would “receive a fair trial” if he did.

Pahlavi’s father, Mohammad Reza Shah, was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which gave rise to the Islamic Republic that governs Iran today.

Addressing the current situation, Pahlavi said Iran stood at a pivotal "crossroads," where one direction leads to “bloodshed and chaos,” and the other toward a “peaceful democratic transition.”

Responding to a pre-selected question from journalists about whether he believes the US or Israel should pursue regime change in Iran, he said, “It’s not any foreign government’s job” to “define regime change” but rather to “recognise that this is the ask of the Iranian people.”

“Where do Western democracies stand?” he asked. “Are they going to continue throwing the regime a lifeline, or recognise that this is a golden opportunity?”