Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on Monday renewed his opposition to negotiations with the Islamic Republic, arguing that the latest regional escalation demonstrated that lasting peace and stability cannot be achieved while the current regime remains in power.
In a statement issued following 24 hours of heightened tensions involving Iran, Hezbollah, and Israel, Pahlavi accused Tehran of once again dragging the region into conflict through its support for terrorist proxies.
"The Islamic Republic, in its support for Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, has started yet another military conflict and further revealed its anti-Iranian nature," Pahlavi wrote on X/Twitter.
His remarks came after Iran launched missiles toward Israel on Sunday night following an Israeli strike on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh district. Israel’s air force responded in the early hours of Monday morning with strikes on military targets in western and central Iran.
Pahlavi: Diplomacy with the Islamic Republic does not address any of the relevant issues
The latest exchange occurred amid ongoing US efforts to reach a broader agreement with Tehran to end the conflict, which began in February. US President Donald Trump reportedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran, warning that further escalation could jeopardize negotiations that Washington believes are close to completion.
Pahlavi, however, argued that diplomacy with the Islamic Republic addresses neither the source of regional instability nor the aspirations of the Iranian people.
"The solution is not negotiation with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) and the terrorist occupiers of Iran," the prince wrote. "The solution is to stand with the Iranian nation and support its struggle to bring an end to the Islamic Republic."
The son of Iran's last shah has repeatedly urged Western governments to abandon efforts to reach agreements with Tehran and instead support Iranian opposition movements seeking political change inside the country.
During a visit to Berlin in April, Pahlavi argued that "no deal will solve this" and warned that the Islamic Republic would continue to threaten both its own citizens and the wider region as long as it remained in power.
"This regime has taken the Iranian nation hostage and views the lives and property of Iranians as mere tools for exporting terror, war, and instability," he wrote.
The exiled royal added that any damage suffered by Iran as a result of the current conflict ultimately rested with the country's leadership.
"In this conflict, as always, the Islamic Republic is responsible for any damage to Iran's infrastructure and for the lives of innocent civilians on both sides.”
Pahlavi has repeatedly called on foreign governments to cease engaging with Tehran
Pahlavi has become the most prominent opposition figure advocating for a post-Islamic Republic transition, under the Iran Prosperity Project. Thousands of his supporters took to the streets of Iran in December and January to chant his name, many of whom were murdered by the regime on January 8-9. Since the outbreak of the mass anti-regime protests and the subsequent conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States earlier this year, he has repeatedly called on foreign governments to cease engaging with Tehran and instead support what he describes as the Iranian people's struggle for freedom.
Pahlavi argued in his Monday message that the future of regional peace depends on the regime’s eventual downfall.
"The Iranian nation, the first and greatest victim of this regime, knows full well that as long as the Islamic Republic remains in power, terror, violence, and instability will continue to loom over Iran, the region, and the world," he wrote.
"Peace, security, and sustainable prosperity are only possible with the end of this regime."