Exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi has issued a defiant message following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declaring that the Islamic Republic is “drawing its final breaths”. In a strongly worded statement shared on social media, Pahlavi called on regime officials to surrender and urged security forces to side with the public. His remarks come at a moment of extreme volatility, as Iran enters a formal mourning period while bracing for further regional confrontation.
My compatriots,
Ali Khamenei, the Zahhak of our time — the demon who, only weeks ago, issued the order for the massacre of tens of thousands of Iran’s finest sons and daughters — is gone.
With his disgraceful death, and that of many of his appointees and affiliates, the Islamic… https://t.co/dFxweIJIjF pic.twitter.com/IzGDbIs6Jt
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) March 1, 2026
Call For Regime Collapse
In his statement, Pahlavi described Khamenei as a tyrant whose death, he claimed, marks the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic. He asserted that attempts to appoint a successor would lack legitimacy and warned that any new figure installed by the current establishment would be complicit in what he called the regime’s crimes.
Addressing senior officials directly, Pahlavi urged them to “surrender to the Iranian nation” and align themselves with what he termed a transition framework designed to avoid further bloodshed. He framed the moment as historic, arguing that decades of clerical rule were nearing collapse.
Appeal To Security Forces & Diaspora
Pahlavi also directed a pointed message at Iran’s military, police and security services, calling on them to abandon the state and instead defend the Iranian people. He encouraged them to use their arms, not in support of the republic, but in protection of civilians amid growing unrest.
In addition, he appealed to Iranians living abroad to intensify lobbying efforts and amplify calls for international backing of what he described as a humanitarian intervention. He urged supporters inside Iran to prepare for sustained street mobilisation, suggesting that a decisive phase was approaching.
The statement reflects Pahlavi’s longstanding position as a prominent critic of the Islamic Republic and advocate for systemic change. While his supporters see him as a unifying opposition voice, critics question the extent of his influence within Iran itself.
As tensions remain high and leadership uncertainty persists, his intervention adds another volatile element to an already fragile political landscape.
