‘Iranians Have Called On Me’: Reza Pahlavi Says He’s Accepted To Lead Iran After Khamenei’s Death

Last Updated:March 07, 2026, 08:12 IST

Pahlavi is the eldest son of Iran’s last Shah, and is widely seen as the most prominent figure in the opposition to the country’s Islamic Republic government.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last Shah, has said that the Iranian people have asked him to lead a political transition in the country and has called on Arab nations to recognise a future transitional government.

Pahlavi said he had accepted the responsibility after receiving calls from Iranians inside and outside the country urging him to guide the country through a potential post-regime transition.

“The Iranian people have called on me to lead the transition after the regime is gone. I have accepted that responsibility," he said.

“Part of their great mandate to me is to return our nation and our foreign relations to normalcy. I will do exactly that. My commitment is to ensure the transition is orderly, the country is stabilized, and Iranians determine their future through the ballot box. Iranians have made their choice — at an enormous price. Now I ask our friends in the Arab world to join us. To prepare to recognize and engage our transitional government," Pahlavi said in a video statement posted on his X account.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was killed on Saturday by US and Israeli strikes in Iran.

Pahlavi is the eldest son of Iran’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and is widely seen as the most prominent figure in the opposition to the country’s Islamic Republic government.

He has repeatedly urged people to protest against the Islamic Republic, while advocating the removal of the current regime from power and calling for closer ties with the Western world and Israel.

Born in 1960, Pahlavi has lived in exile since the 1979 revolution and has emerged as a prominent voice within the Iranian opposition, advocating secular governance, human rights and democratic reforms in the country. Over time, he has portrayed himself as a symbol of change for Iranians seeking an alternative to the clerical leadership in Tehran.

News world ‘Iranians Have Called On Me’: Reza Pahlavi Says He’s Accepted To Lead Iran After Khamenei’s Death

Read More