Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahalvi says democracy within reach after regime weakens
Washington: A week after the US and Israel attacked Iran, decimating its military and top leadership, Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has said the country may be nearing a political turning point, telling CBS’s 60 Minutes that “this is our chance now” as he outlined a plan for democratic transition after decades of clerical rule.
In separate interviews with CBS’s 60 Minutes and the All-In Podcast, Pahlavi described what he sees as a rare opportunity for Iranians to reclaim control of their political future after nearly five decades of the Islamic Republic.
Pahlavi, who left Iran at the age of 17 during the 1979 revolution, said he sees his role not as a future ruler but as a transitional figure tasked with guiding the country toward democratic elections.
“My focus is on the process, not the outcome,” he said on the All-In Podcast, adding that the form of government must ultimately be decided by the Iranian people themselves.
He said preparations are already underway through a policy blueprint known as the Iran Prosperity Project (IPP), a framework developed by economists, legal experts, and policy advisers to prepare for a post-regime scenario.
“I created an organisation called IPP… but its first focus is the first 100 days, how we immediately stabilise the situation in Iran,” Pahlavi said on the All-In Podcast.
According to Pahlavi, the transition would be guided by four key principles: protecting Iran’s territorial integrity, separating religion from the state, ensuring equality of citizens under the law, and establishing a democratic political system.
“Number one is Iran’s territorial integrity. Number two is the clear separation of religion from state… number three is equality of all citizens under the law… and the democratic process itself,” he told CBS’s 60 Minutes.
He also said a future democratic government should dismantle Iran’s military nuclear programme in order to rebuild international trust and remove sanctions that have weighed heavily on the Iranian economy.
“I think it should be totally dismantled,” Pahlavi said in the CBS’s 60 Minutes interview, arguing that Iran has “no need to pursue a military weaponising of the nuclear program.”
Pahlavi suggested that a transformed Iran could reshape regional geopolitics and economic prospects.
“Iran is one of the most untapped economic opportunities of the 21st century,” he said on the All-In Podcast, pointing to the country’s potential to attract large-scale international investment during reconstruction.
He also stressed that the decision about Iran’s future leadership must remain solely with its citizens rather than foreign governments.
“The right to choose the future leaders is only up to the Iranian people,” Pahlavi said during the All-In Podcast interview.
Asked about returning to Iran after decades in exile, Pahlavi said he would do so as soon as conditions allow.
“I would like to be able to be there as soon as possible to be able to help as much as I can in this process,” he said on the All-In Podcast.
Born in Tehran in 1960, Pahlavi has lived in exile since the Iranian Revolution that replaced the monarchy with an Islamic republic. Over the years, he has remained a prominent figure among opposition groups and segments of the Iranian diaspora advocating a secular democratic system.