On Saturday in Munich, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran, mentioned “cracks” within the Iranian regime that will become more apparent as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s authority wanes. (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei makes this virtually impossible for those associated with him. to oppose him.”
However, he added in a conversation with journalists on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, where opposition representatives were invited without the invitation of any representative of the authorities, that, according to “the testimonies that we receive and leaked information (…) there will be cracks that will seem more obvious.
And he stressed that the Supreme Leader is “seeking to push his son (Mojtaba Khamenei) to become his successor”, noting that the move would “greatly weaken” his support. He pointed to the need to use these internal aspirations in Iran to change the constitution.
Since mid-September, a wave of protests has swept across the country following the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, days after she was arrested by the vice police for violating a strict dress code in the Islamic Republic.
Since then, the regime has faced unprecedented protests that have been brutally suppressed. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi called for reforms in early February.
Mousavi proposed, in part, that a “free and fair referendum be held on whether a new constitution should be drafted”, given that the current power structure is “unsustainable”.
Reza Pahlavi pointed out that the former prime minister became very critical of the authorities after in the recent past he acted as part of the “loyal opposition, within the framework of the current constitution.”
Several factions in the deeply divided Iranian dispersion began to formulate a pact. It aims to bring together their common denominators to form a transitional council responsible for preparing for elections and drafting a new constitution.
Also in context, the son of the Shah, who was overthrown in 1979 by the Islamic Revolution, pointed out that there is a wide “gray spectrum” of government officials in Iran who are tempted by change but are currently reluctant to speak out about it. publicly.
“The problem is knowing how many of them will start to defect,” he told Khamenei’s inner circle, expressing his belief that “the dynamic is moving towards more … desertion.”
The Shah’s son added that the opposition in exile should offer solutions through “an open door policy and maximum integration.” “If (these officials) accept the values and principles (of the Charter) as the basis for cooperation, we can expand the scope to include more people,” he said.
However, he indicated that a positive outcome would also require political and judicial action to reserve a place for these members in the current system. In this regard, he stressed that “everyone has the right to a second chance.”
And the Shah’s son thought: “There are equations that have been sealed by traditional justice. What will we do with those who acted like criminals while they were in government? We cannot refuse those who want justice.”
Referring to the Revolutionary Guards, he said: “We must be able to say: you can return to the army, or be part of the reserve, or perform another civilian role. All this is currently being discussed,” adding that “there is a strategy, there is a plan” for preparation. After the Islamic Republic.
However, Reza Pahlavi is far from unanimous. He has been accused of insufficiently distancing himself from his father’s tyrannical regime, lacking transparency about the family’s fortunes, and not acting in the face of the Shah’s aggressiveness on social media. However, his stance in the face of the demonstrations earned him the recognition of the protest movement.
The 62-year-old man, who lives in the United States, said: “To say that my father was a king and that I should take responsibility for everything that happened is a kind of irrational proposal.”
“If I had a choice between a secular republic and a monarchy, I would choose a republic,” he added, adding: “But you can’t cancel the choice if part of the nation wants to discuss it.”
And he concluded by saying, “What happens next, I will let the (future) Constituent Assembly discuss it.” He emphasized that he does not apply for any position, preferring to maintain “complete freedom of speech.”
