Khamenei erased from history, Reza Pahlavi says, calls on Iranians to rise

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi declared that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been “erased from the face of history,” calling the moment the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic and urging Iranians to prepare for a decisive uprising.

In a lengthy message posted on X, Pahlavi described Khamenei as “the bloodthirsty despot of our time” and “the murderer of tens of thousands of Iran’s bravest sons and daughters.” With his death, he wrote, “the Islamic Republic has in effect reached its end and will very soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.”

Pahlavi’s statement came shortly after US President Donald Trump declared on social media that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in a major joint US–Israeli attack on Iran. There was no immediate confirmation from Tehran regarding his status. Trump described the moment as “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” following the aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and government sites.

Pahlavi warned that any attempt by regime loyalists to appoint a successor “is doomed to fail from the outset,” arguing that no replacement would possess “legitimacy nor longevity” and would remain “complicit in the crimes of this regime.”

Addressing Iran’s military, law enforcement and security forces directly, he said efforts to preserve what he called a collapsing regime would fail. “This is your final opportunity to join the nation,” he wrote, urging them to help ensure “Iran’s stable transition to a free and prosperous future.”

He said Khamenei’s death “may serve as a balm for the wounded hearts” of grieving families, though it does not avenge past bloodshed.

“This may be the beginning of our great national celebration,” Pahlavi said, adding that “the time for a widespread and decisive presence in the streets is very near.”

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