The exiled son of the last shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, urged US President Donald Trump on Saturday to "help the Iranian people" put an end to the Islamic Republic, a day after the US president said that a change of government would be "the best thing that could happen." His statements come amid new diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran over the Iranian nuclear program and while Oman, as mediator, prepares a new round of talks in Geneva.

First modification: 02/14/2026 - 20:03 Last modification: 02/14/2026 - 20:18

The exiled son of Iran's last shah called on US President Donald Trump on Saturday to help the Iranian people, a day after the US leader said a change of power would be "for the best".

His statements come as Washington continues its diplomatic negotiations with Tehran, and on the day that Switzerland confirmed that Oman, as mediator, will host a new round of talks in Geneva next week.

US-based Reza Pahlavi, who has not returned to Iran since before the 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew the monarchy, added that it was “time to end the Islamic Republic” in conversation with journalists at the Munich Security Conference.

Outside, about 200,000 of his supporters crowded the streets near the meeting of world leaders, calling on them to increase pressure against the Islamic Republic following the deadly crackdown on national protests in January.

“Javid shah” (long live the shah), chanted the crowd while waving green, white and red flags with a lion and a sun, the emblem of the overthrown monarchy.

“The Iranian regime is a dead regime,” a 62-year-old protester originally from Iran who only identified himself as Said, told AFP. “It must be the end of the game.”

Pahlavi has urged Iranians inside and outside the country to continue demonstrations against the authorities, telling them to chant slogans from their homes and rooftops at 8 p.m. m. (16:30 GMT) on Saturday and Sunday, coinciding with the protests in Germany.

Trump said Friday that a change of government in Iran would be "the best thing that could happen," sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to increase military pressure on Tehran.

He had previously threatened military intervention to support a wave of street protests in Iran that reached its peak in January and was violently repressed, causing, according to the Martyrs Foundation, 3,117 deaths, while civil organizations that monitored the repression of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime in the mobilizations recorded other figures.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency counts at least 7,008 people, mostly protesters, who died in the crackdown, although they and other human rights groups warn that the real number is likely much higher.

"President Trump... the Iranian people have heard you say that help is on the way and they have faith in you. Help them," Pahlavi told reporters in Munich.

"It is time to end the Islamic Republic. This is the demand that resonates in the bloodshed of my compatriots, who do not ask us to fix the regime, but to help them bury it," he added.

Nuclear negotiations advance in parallel to the internal crisis

When Iran began its crackdown on protests in late December 2025, Trump initially said the United States was “ready and prepared” to help protesters.

However, it has recently focused its military threats on Tehran's nuclear program, which US forces attacked in July 2025 during the unprecedented 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

Representatives of Iran and the United States, which have not maintained diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 revolution, held talks on the nuclear program last week in Oman.

Read alsoIran intensifies repression amid possible nuclear talks with the US

On Sunday, February 8, a Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesperson told AFP that Oman would host a new round of talks in Geneva next week, without giving further details.

Pahlavi had encouraged Iranians to join the wave of protests, which Iranian authorities said were hijacked by "terrorists" fueled by their bitter enemies, the United States and Israel.

Read alsoA few hours of Internet access reveal the dramatic escalation of repression in Iran

Opposition divided in the face of a possible transition scenario

Many protest slogans called for the return of the monarchy, and Pahlavi, 65, has said he is willing to lead a democratic transition.

However, the Iranian opposition remains divided and Pahlavi has been criticized for his support for Israel, after making a highly publicized visit in 2023 that fractured the attempt to unify the opposition sides. Furthermore, he has never distanced himself from his father's autocratic regime.

Trump on Friday declined to say who he would like to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran, but added that "there are people."

This article was adapted from its original English version.

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