The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, Reza Pahlavi, said he was ready to lead the country towards a “secular democratic future” at a rally in Munich on Saturday, after US President Donald Trump said a change of power in Tehran would be the “best thing”.
The remarks came as Washington continued diplomatic engagement with Tehran’s government. Switzerland confirmed on Sunday that Oman would host a fresh round of talks in Geneva next week.
US-based Pahlavi, who has not returned to Iran since before the 1979 Iranian Revolution that overthrew the monarchy, told a crowd of around 200,000 supporters that he could oversee a transition.
“I am here to guarantee a transition to a secular democratic future,” he said.
“I am committed to being the leader of transition for you so we can one day have the final opportunity to decide the fate of our country through a democratic, transparent process at the ballot box.”
Supporters chanted “Javid shah” (“long live the shah”) as they waved green, white and red flags bearing the lion and sun emblem of the former monarchy.
“The Iranian regime is a dead regime. It must be game over,” a 62-year-old protester who gave his name only as Said told AFP.
Pahlavi has urged Iranians at home and abroad to continue demonstrating, calling on them to chant slogans from their homes and rooftops at 8:00 pm (1630 GMT) on Saturday and Sunday, to coincide with protests in Germany and elsewhere.
Thousands of demonstrators marched in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran at rallies from downtown Los Angeles to the National Mall in Washington. In Toronto, protesters chanted, “Trump, act now!”
Trump said on Friday that a change of government in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen”, as he ordered a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to increase military pressure on Tehran.
He had earlier threatened military intervention to support protests in Iran that peaked in January and were met with a violent crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands.
“To President Trump… The Iranian people heard you say help is on the way, and they have faith in you. Help them,” Pahlavi earlier told reporters at the Munich Security Conference.
“It is time to end the Islamic republic,” he added.
Iranian opposition divided
When Iran began its crackdown, Trump initially said the United States was “locked and loaded” to assist demonstrators. More recently, however, his focus has shifted to Tehran’s nuclear programme, which US forces struck last June during Israel’s unprecedented 12-day war with Iran.
Representatives of Iran and the United States—which have had no diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 revolution—held talks on the nuclear programme last week in Oman.
On Sunday, a Swiss foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Oman would host further talks in Geneva next week, without providing additional details.
Videos verified by AFP showed people in Iran this week chanting anti-government slogans despite the ongoing crackdown, as the clerical leadership marked the anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 7,010 people—mostly protesters—were killed in the crackdown, although the group and other rights organisations say the true toll is likely far higher. More than 53,845 people have been arrested, it added.
Pahlavi has encouraged Iranians to join the protest movement, which authorities in Tehran say was hijacked by “terrorists” backed by the United States and Israel.
Many protest slogans have called for the restoration of the monarchy, and Pahlavi, 65, has said he is prepared to lead a democratic transition.
However, the Iranian opposition remains fragmented. Pahlavi has faced criticism for his support of Israel, including a high-profile visit in 2023 that deepened divisions among opposition groups. He has also never publicly distanced himself from the autocratic rule of his father, the late shah.
Trump declined on Friday to say who he would want to succeed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, but said that “there are people”.
