Pahlavi Presses for Action on Iran, Faces Tough Questions from International Media in Washington
- ATN
- Jan 17
- 4 min read
By ATN News Team
Washington D.C.: Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled crown prince, used a Washington news conference this week to deliver his strongest political message yet: he is ready to lead a transition away from the Islamic Republic — and he wants the world to help make it happen.
The appearance, attended by journalists from major international outlets, quickly became more than a speech. It turned into a pointed exchange between Pahlavi and the press, with reporters pressing him on legitimacy, credibility and the risks of history repeating itself.
Pahlavi opened with stark language, calling the current leadership in Tehran a “hostile occupying force” and describing Iran’s crisis as a fight between “occupation and liberation,” not reform and revolution. He accused the authorities of mass killings and sweeping abuses and argued that the Iranian people, facing heavily armed security forces, cannot prevail without outside support.
“The Iranian people are unarmed on the streets against a regime using military weapons,” he said, urging foreign governments to move beyond statements of concern and take tangible steps.
From exile voice to leadership bid
What made the event stand out was how clearly Pahlavi positioned himself not just as a supporter of protesters, but as a political alternative.
He said Iranians have asked him to lead, claimed that thousands within Iran’s security forces have shown willingness to defect, and said he intends to return to Iran when circumstances allow. He offered no independent evidence to back those claims — a point that several journalists quickly raised.
A Reuters reporter pointed to public doubts expressed by President Donald Trump about how much support Pahlavi actually commands inside Iran. Pahlavi replied that the Iranian people themselves would ultimately decide, insisting they have already shown who they trust.
Bloomberg asked whether he had direct contacts with the Trump administration. Pahlavi declined to discuss specifics, calling such conversations sensitive, but said he believes Trump will ultimately stand with the Iranian people.
Challenged on democracy and history
The sharpest moments came when reporters turned to Iran’s past.
One journalist asked bluntly whether Iranians risked replacing one authoritarian system with another, given the record of repression under Pahlavi’s father before the 1979 revolution. Pahlavi responded that he is committed to democracy and human rights and that his goal is to return power to the people, not concentrate it in his own hands.
A Guardian reporter pushed further, drawing a parallel with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who initially promised not to rule directly but later established a theocracy. Could Pahlavi guarantee he would not follow the same path?
His answer was to lay out process rather than personality.
A plan for the day after
Pahlavi said his team has developed a detailed transition framework through an initiative known as the Iran Prosperity Project. Under that plan:
* A temporary transitional government would take charge after the regime’s collapse.
* A nationwide referendum would allow Iranians to choose their future system of governance.
* A constitutional assembly would draft a new constitution.
* The constitution would be put to a public vote.
* Free national elections would follow.
* The transitional authority would then step aside.
He emphasized that the final system could be a republic or a constitutional monarchy depending on the will of the people.
Calling for pressure — and intervention
Pahlavi’s most controversial message was his call for direct international action.
He urged governments to increase pressure on Tehran through sanctions, asset freezes and diplomatic isolation. He also argued that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be weakened through targeted measures, saying this would reduce civilian casualties and accelerate change.
While he avoided using the language of full-scale war, he made clear that he believes weakening the regime’s security apparatus from the outside is necessary to “level the playing field” for protesters.
A future Iran aligned with the West
He also painted a picture of what he says a post–Islamic Republic Iran would look like: democratic, open to the world and aligned with Western nations rather than hostile to them.
He pledged peaceful relations with neighbors, including Israel and Gulf states, and said a democratic Iran could become a stabilizing force in the Middle East. He praised existing regional normalization efforts and suggested that a free Iran could eventually join similar initiatives.
A room divided between interest and skepticism
The mood in the room reflected a clear tension.
Pahlavi delivered a confident, disciplined message and appeared determined to be seen as a serious political figure, not a symbolic exile. At the same time, journalists repeatedly challenged the gaps between his claims and what could be independently verified.
By the end of the event, one thing was clear: Pahlavi is no longer asking simply to be heard. He is asking to be recognized as a leader-in-waiting.
Whether Iranians inside the country see him the same way remains the unanswered question — and the one that will ultimately matter most.