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Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of Iran’s last shah, on Saturday called on US President Donald Trump to help the Iranian people, saying it was “time to end the Islamic republic.”Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Pahlavi said, “It is time to end the Islamic republic.” “This is the demand echoing from the bloodshed of my compatriots who are not asking us to fix the regime but to help them bury it,” he added, as quoted by AFP.
Pahlavi also directly appealed to Trump, telling reporters, “To President Trump… The Iranian people heard you say help is on the way, and they have faith in you. Help them.”Trump said on Friday that a change of government in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen,” and deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to step up military pressure on the Islamic republic. He had previously warned of possible military action in support of nationwide protests that peaked in January and were followed by a harsh crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead.Pahlavi, who has lived outside Iran since before the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the monarchy, had urged Iranians to take part in the demonstrations. Iranian officials said the unrest had been taken over by “terrorists” backed by their adversaries, the United States and Israel. Chants during many protests called for the restoration of the monarchy, and Pahlavi, 65, has said he is prepared to guide a democratic transition. Iran’s opposition remains fragmented, and he has drawn criticism for his support for Israel, including a widely publicised 2023 visit that undermined efforts to unite opposition groups. He has also never distanced himself from his father’s autocratic rule.
