Khamenei’s death: Exiled Iranian crown prince says he’s accepted ‘call’ to lead Iran

A big flag of Iran waving in the wind in Tehran, Iran.

Reza Pahlavi, exiled Iranian crown prince, says he has accepted the call to be the country’s next leader.

Pahlavi is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran and is widely regarded as the most prominent figure in the opposition to the Iranian government.

He has repeatedly called for protests against the Islamic Republic and advocated for the removal of the current regime from power, as well as closer relation with the Western world and Israel.

Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was killed on Saturday by US and Israeli strikes in Iran.

An assembly of experts have been tasked with appointing the next leader mandated by Iranian law.

In the meantime, a three-man transitional council comprising the president, head of the judiciary, and a member of the guardians’ council has been appointed to lead the country.

“For nearly five decades, this terrorist regime has sown chaos and bloodshed across our region,” Pahlavi said on Friday.

He spoke in a video statement posted on his X account.

According to the exiled prince, “the Iranian people have called on me to lead the transition after the regime is gone.”

“I have accepted that responsibility. Part of their great mandate to me is to return our nation and our foreign relations to normalcy. I will do exactly that,” he said.

“My commitment is to ensure the transition is orderly, the country is stabilized, and Iranians determine their future through the ballot box.

“Iranians have made their choice — at an enormous price. Now I ask our friends in the Arab world to join us. To prepare to recognize and engage our transitional government.”