Reza Pahlavi, the exiled eldest son of the deposed Shah of Iran, has announced that he will call for a swift U.S. military strike against the regime in Tehran during the Munich Security Conference, according to an article in “Der Spiegel”. He says he intends to return to Iran himself to lead the uprising on the ground.
Before leaving for Munich, Pahlavi described the blood‑shed that followed his January appeal as a “revolution”. He lamented how thousands of people died and stressed that “there is no going back”. He claimed that the regime is weakened, its leaders are hiding in bunkers, and there is nothing left to offer the people.
Now, he argues, is the right time to launch a targeted strike against the regime’s security forces and the so‑called “revolution guards”. Pahlavi insists that such an action would not be an external intervention but a “humanitarian intervention”. He says a quick military blow could stop mass murder and give Iranians a “fair chance”.
Pahlavi particularly appeals to the advisers of the U.S. president, telling them that “Trump has the chance to write history by freeing the Iranian people”. He referenced Trump’s statement, “Help is on the way” made on January 13, 2026, which reportedly resonated in Iran but produced no concrete effect. He claims that more than 100,000 security and administrative officials have already lined up with his call by joining his team.
He plans to act on the ground himself. “I’m checking when I can operate in Iran” he says. He reminded that in 1980 he had offered his services to Khomeini’s air force during the Iran‑Iraq war. Pahlavi emphasizes that he is “no sacrificial lamb”; his goal is to organize the transition in the country.
The opposition leader also demands amnesty for accomplices and trial proceedings modeled on the Nuremberg system against “demons” such as Khamenei. He urges Iranians to decide through a referendum whether the new state will be a constitutional monarchy or a republic. Pahlavi hopes to unite the divisive opposition under four principles: equality, secularism, democracy, and civil liberties.
“International actors need to stop supporting the regime and firmly side with the Iranian people”. He urged the participants of the Munich Security Conference that the Iranian freedom movement requires political, economic-and if necessary, military-support.