Reza Pahlavi Calls on Iranians to Stay on Streets, Cites Trump’s Recognition of Courage

Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi releases a new video message as protests spread and the death toll reportedly reaches 116, while authorities threaten a harsher crackdown and cut internet access across the country, even as United States President Donald Trump again signals that Washington is “ready to help”.

The demonstrations, which began over economic anger and daily hardships, now challenge the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led system itself, as Iran’s attorney general Mohammad Movahedi Azad warns participants that they could face death sentences and be treated as an 'enemy of God’ under existing laws.

Reza Pahlavi Iran protests message and global reaction

In the fresh address posted on Reza Pahlavi’s X handle, Pahlavi praises protesters’ courage and urges them to stay visible in Iran’s streets. “In particular President Trump, as the leader of the free world, has closely observed your indescribable bravery and has declared that he is ready to help you. Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side," Pahlavi says.

Pahlavi repeats his appeal for Iranians to “not abandon” public spaces and again frames the protests as a national struggle watched by the world, while stressing that compatriots abroad are amplifying voices inside Iran, even as authorities maintain an internet blackout that makes sharing images and testimonies harder and more risky.

Reza Pahlavi Iran protests weaken Khamenei forces

The exiled figure claims the ongoing unrest has badly damaged Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s security network, saying he receives reports that the government is struggling to find enough loyal personnel willing to confront demonstrators across many cities and regions where crowds continue to gather.

Describing alleged shifts within Iran’s security ranks, Pahlavi states: “…many armed and security forces have left their workplaces or disobeyed orders to suppress the people. What remains for Khamenei is a minority of violent mercenaries who, like their criminal leader, are non-Iranian and anti-Iranian, and consider you—the great nation of Iran—their enemy. Know that they will face consequences for their actions," directly accusing remaining loyalists of acting against national interests.

Pahlavi also offers practical advice, urging protesters to stay on main roads as large groups and avoid splitting into small clusters or entering side alleys, which Pahlavi warns could “endanger” lives by exposing individuals to arrest or violence from security units and plain-clothes forces who patrol less visible areas.

Reza Pahlavi, son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah Diba, has lived abroad since the monarchy’s fall but continues to address Iranians. After an earlier appeal urging people to head out and “claim spaces”, demonstrations intensified on Friday in Tehran and other provinces, reinforcing Pahlavi’s influence among some opposition supporters.

The latest recording comes hours after Donald Trump repeats that the United States stands “ready to help” those demanding freedom, echoing previous warnings that Washington could hit Iranian authorities “very hard”. Despite that, officials aligned with Khamenei remain defiant and reportedly talk of an even stronger response to street unrest.

Iran has been in crisis since June, when United States forces bombed three nuclear sites, further straining an already weak economy and public services. Anger over inflation and falling living standards fuels the movement that started in December 2025 in Tehran and quickly reached other regions, including Chaharmahal, Bakhtiari, Ilam, Kermanshah and Fars.

As the internet shutdown continues and threats of treating demonstrators as an 'enemy of God’ remain, Reza Pahlavi insists the protests have weakened Khamenei’s “repressive apparatus”, while Iranians facing economic strain and political pressure keep gathering in streets despite the risk of arrest, violence or possible death sentences.