The son of Iran’s last monarch, exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, used a speech to Israeli American activists in Washington on Friday to urge them to act in support of his campaign to oust Iran’s Islamist rulers.
In an interview with VOA shortly after his speech at the Israeli-American Council national summit, Pahlavi answered a question about what kind of action he wants to see from Israelis by citing the concepts of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic Republic and “maximum support” for the Iranian people. He said that support includes fomenting “civil disobedience movements” in Iran and said it is “important to fund” them.
After VOA published its initial story on Friday, highlighting Pahlavi’s reference to funding civil disobedience movements in Iran in his answer to the question about what he is urging Israelis to do, some of his supporters in the Iranian diaspora used the social media X platform to express doubt about Pahlavi’s stated position.
Those supporters said they did not believe Pahlavi was calling on Israelis to provide financial support to dissidents in Iran. Rather, they said they believed he was referring to diaspora Iranians as the people who should do the funding.
In a statement sent to VOA on Saturday, an aide to Pahlavi said the U.S.-based crown prince’s comment about funding civil disobedience movements such as protests and labor strikes in Iran had been misinterpreted in the initial VOA story.
“The crown prince has long been a strong advocate for the establishment of a labor strike fund, emphasizing its importance in empowering the Iranian people in their fight for freedom,” the aide said. “He believes that such a fund could be financed using Iran's blocked assets, asserting that this money rightfully belongs to the Iranian people, not the regime.”
The Washington event at which Pahlavi spoke is an annual gathering of Israeli American activists, their Jewish American allies and other Israel supporters.
Pahlavi drew cheers and standing ovations from the audience for urging Israelis to work with Iranians to oust the radical clerics who have ruled Iran since overthrowing his father in 1979.
The speech was his most high-profile outreach to Israelis since traveling to Israel in April 2023, when he became the most prominent Iranian opposition figure to make a public visit to the Jewish state.
The following transcript of Pahlavi’s interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
VOA: In your IAC speech, you urged the audience to take action. What kinds of actions do you expect to see from Israeli Americans, Israelis in general and the Israeli government when it comes to achieving regime change?
Reza Pahlavi, exiled Iranian crown prince: There are two major components in this campaign. On one hand, it is important to put maximum pressure on the regime. Parallel to that is maximum support for the people of Iran. We are trying to foment civil disobedience movements within Iran, ranging from protests to labor strikes. It is important to fund them.
Many diaspora Iranians would like to help. But U.S. sanctions make it almost impossible for them to, for instance, transfer money back home. Many aspects of the sanctions rules have to change to facilitate that. It requires a new U.S. policy.
There also needs to be an appropriate media strategy to counter the regime's propaganda machinery. All aspects of the campaign should be coordinated with some key governments that can help.
VOA: Iran and its main proxy Hezbollah are once again threatening revenge against Israel for alleged Israeli attacks on Hezbollah communications devices in Lebanon this week. What is your message to the Islamic Republic as it considers its next move?
Pahlavi: There is no message to give to warmongers who stand against freedom, peace, human rights and even our national identity. Iranians, by the millions, have shown how much they despise this regime and want to tell the world that it does not represent us. Iranians are peace lovers. We want to have good relationships with our neighborhood — with Arabs, Israelis and the rest of the world.
This is why I’m not going to waste my time telling the regime anything. At the end of the day, the solution is for the Iranian people themselves to put an end to this regime. But as I said in my speech, they have done all of this work alone so far. They need extra support to have a chance of success.
VOA: In the audience, some Iranian Muslims waved Iran’s former Lion and Sun flag and chanted your name, reflecting the support you have in the diaspora for your friendship toward Israel. But there also are some in the diaspora who accuse you of supporting Israeli aggression toward Palestinians and others in the region. What is your message to Iranians who are skeptical of your view that they need to embrace Israel to achieve regime change?
Pahlavi: I think a strategic partnership with a country like Israel brings a tremendous amount of opportunities for sharing technological knowhow. One of the reasons for my trip to Israel was to explore the possibilities of using their expertise in water management for agriculture. We are facing a drought and water crisis in Iran, so we need to have a cordial relationship with such governments.
It is unfortunate that when we have such a conflict [like the Israel-Hamas war], there always are casualties. Of course, my heart goes out to many victims.
The main problem is the regime itself. As long as it is there, it will not allow for normalization [of relations in the region], or for stability and peace. I’ve been insisting for years that as long as you don’t eliminate the source of the problem, which finances terrorism and forces governments to act and react, we will never be rid of it.
The solution is for this regime to go. That is what the majority of the Iranian people are calling for. And what I’ve been calling for is solidarity. I think governments, including Israel, are very cognizant of, and know the difference between, the people of Iran and the regime that has nothing to do with the people’s aspirations. The regime is only there to represent its own self-interest at the expense of the Iranian people.
This story was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Persian Service.
