Exiled son of Iran’s last shah calls on Trump to help ‘bury’ the Islamic Republic

Pahlavi’s appeal at Munich conference comes as Trump sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East, says regime change would be ‘best thing’

By AFP 14 February 2026, 3:03 pm

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Iran's former crown prince and now key opposition figure Reza Pahlavi attends a discussion during the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 13, 2026 in Munich, southern Germany. (Alexandra BEIER / AFP)

MUNICH, Germany — The exiled son of Iran’s last shah called on US President Donald Trump on Saturday to help the Iranian people “bury” the current regime and said it was “time to end the Islamic Republic.”

The opposition figure has urged Iranians at home and abroad to continue demonstrations against the authorities, calling on them to chant slogans from their homes and rooftops at 8:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, to coincide with protests in Germany and elsewhere.

“To President Trump… The Iranian people heard you say help is on the way, and they have faith in you. Help them,” the US-based Reza Pahlavi told reporters at the Munich Security Conference.

Trump had said Friday that a change of government in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen,” as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to ratchet up military pressure on the Islamic Republic.

He had earlier threatened military intervention to support a wave of street protests in Iran that peaked in January and were met by a violent crackdown. The verified death toll has passed 7,000, with many more still feared dead.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency — which offered the latest figure of 7,005 people killed, including 214 government forces — has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists in the country to verify deaths.

Pahlavi, who has not returned to Iran since before the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the monarchy, said in Munich: “It is time to end the Islamic Republic. This is the demand echoing from the bloodshed of my compatriots who are not asking us to fix the regime but to help them bury it.”

Participants carry the historic Iranian “Lion and Sun” national flag as well as flags of Israel as they arrive for a demonstration of the Iranian opposition on February 14, 2026 at the Theresienwiese fair grounds in Munich, southern Germany, on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC). (Photo by Michaela STACHE / AFP)

Pahlavi had encouraged Iranians to join the wave of protests, which Iranian authorities have said were hijacked by “terrorists” fueled by their sworn enemies, the United States and Israel.

“In this spirit, I invite you, on the evenings of February 14 and 15 at 8 p.m., to raise your voices and chant from your homes and rooftops. Shout your demands. Show your unity. With an unbreakable will, we will prevail over this occupying regime,” he said.

Many protest chants had called for the monarchy’s return, and Pahlavi, 65, has said he is ready to lead a democratic transition.

The Iranian opposition remains divided, and Pahlavi has faced criticism for his support for Israel, making a highly publicized visit in 2023 that fractured an attempt to unify opposition camps. He has also never distanced himself from his father’s autocratic rule.

Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.