Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has called on the country's security forces to break away from the regime, expressing hope for the overthrow of the Islamic republic after Israeli strikes.

Pahlavi accused Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of “dragging Iran into a war” with Israel and described the government in Tehran as “weak and divided.”

"It could fall. As I have already told my countrymen: Iran is yours and you must rebuild it. I am with you. Be strong and we will win. I appeal to the military, police and security forces: break away from the regime. Honour the oath. Join the people. “To the international community: do not hand another lifeline to this dying terrorist regime,” he added.

Pahlavi was the heir apparent to Iran's pro-Western monarchy, which collapsed in 1979 after a mass revolution that led to the declaration of the Islamic Republic.

Living in exile near Washington, Reza Pahlavi has said he is not necessarily pushing for the restoration of the monarchy, but wants to use his name to support the movement for secular democracy.

Israel sees the Islamic Republic as a threat to its existence, but it was once an ally of Iran under the late shah.

Pahlavi maintains warm relations with Israel, where he visited two years ago.

Pro-monarchist members of the Iranian diaspora, waving the old imperial flag, have been active participants in protests in support of Israel since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

Pahlavi has repeatedly described the Islamic Republic as fragile, including after the mass protests in 2022 sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman detained by police monitoring the strict dress code of women. | BGNES, AFP