Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, pledges to return from US exile as protests continue, with thousands reported killed in recent unrest.
WASHINGTON: Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, has vowed to return to Iran from the United States.
The 65-year-old former crown prince made the pledge in a video message on social media platform X on Sunday.
He did not specify a date for his potential return, and it remains unclear if Iranian authorities would permit his entry.
Pahlavi declared the current struggle in Iran is “between occupation and liberation”.
“The Iranian people have called for me to lead. I will return to Iran,” he wrote.
He stated the people are demanding “a credible new path” forward and urged the international community to join their cause.
Pahlavi has lived in US exile for decades since his father was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
His announcement follows widespread protests that erupted in Iran in late December over economic hardship.
Those demonstrations rapidly escalated into broader anti-government rallies against the Islamic Republic’s system.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acknowledged on Saturday that thousands had been killed during the nationwide unrest.
A report by Britain’s Sunday Times, citing medical staff figures, suggested the death toll could be between 16,500 and 18,000.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed 3,308 deaths with 4,382 more cases under review.
All casualty figures remain impossible to independently verify following a nationwide internet shutdown imposed by Iranian authorities on January 8. – Bernama-dpa