Washington: One week after U.S. and Israeli strikes crippled Iran's military and leadership, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi declared a political turning point at hand. In CBS's 60 Minutes and the All-In Podcast, he called it "our chance now" to end decades of clerical rule through democratic transition.
Pahlavi, who fled Iran at 17 during the 1979 revolution, positions himself as a bridge to elections—not a ruler. "My focus is on the process, not the outcome," he told the All-In Podcast. The Iranian people, he stressed, must decide the government's form.
Preparations center on the Iran Prosperity Project (IPP), a blueprint by economists, legal experts, and advisers for the critical first 100 days of stabilization.
The transition rests on four pillars: safeguarding territorial integrity, separating religion from state, ensuring equal rights under law, and building democracy. "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 60 Minutes.
Pahlavi urged dismantling Iran's military nuclear program entirely to rebuild global trust and lift crippling sanctions. "I think it should be totally dismantled," he said on CBS. "No need to pursue a military weaponising of the nuclear program."
A democratic Iran could transform the region, he added, unlocking "one of the most untapped economic opportunities of the 21st century " through massive reconstruction investments.
Leadership choices belong solely to Iranians, not foreign powers. "The right to choose the future leaders is only up to the Iranian people," Pahlavi emphasized.
He plans to return home swiftly once safe: "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."
Born in Tehran in 1960, Pahlavi has championed secular democracy from exile since the revolution ousted the monarchy for an Islamic republic, gaining support among opposition and diaspora communities.
(Inputs from IANS)