Ex-Iran crown prince Pahlavi urges international support for opposition protesters

WASHINGTON, United States — Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former shah of Iran, called on the international community to back Iranian opposition protesters rather than seek agreements with Tehran, following a meeting with British lawmakers in London on Tuesday. The 65-year-old warned that any deal preserving Iran's current ruling structure would carry consequences for all, and argued that cooperation with the regime would fail. Pahlavi said the ruling system has been at war with the Iranian people for 47 years and would not reconcile with either its own citizens or the wider world. He presents himself as an alternative to Iran's current leadership, though critics have pointed to his perceived closeness to Israel, his father's authoritarian rule and his limited support among ethnic minorities. His father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, went into exile after the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the monarchy and died in exile shortly afterward. Strikes by the United States and Israel on February 28 killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, dragging the Middle East into a wider war and briefly reviving hopes within the Iranian opposition that the regime could fall. A memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, which would allow the current government to remain in place and pave the way for a broader agreement, is scheduled to be signed on Friday.