Exiled Reza Pahlavi positions himself as ready to lead Iran, as protests within country appear to ebb

iranian language oppositeness enter Reza pahlevi urged the international community of interests on Friday to ramp up pressure on the Iranian government to help protesters overthrow clerical rule, and said he's ready to lead a transitional government if necessary, even as a deadly crackdown appears to ​have broadly quelled demonstrations.

Pahlavi, the 65-year-old exiled son of the Iranian shah toppled in 1979, held a news conference in Washington ⁠D.C. On Friday morning to call for political, ‍economic and military ⁠pressure on Tehran.

"There are moments in history where the moral imperative for action is so strong, that the weight of inaction becomes unbearable," said Pahlavi. "This is one of those moments."

Pahlavi praised the courage of the protesters who've been expressing their discontent in the face of a repressive crackdown since Dec. 28, when demonstrations erupted over soaring inflation and an economy crippled by sanctions. It has been one of the biggest challenges yet to the clerical establishment that ‍has run Iran since the 1979 ⁠Islamic Revolution.

Pahlavi has urged on the protesters, and at some demonstrations in the West — including in Canada — his name has been invoked. He asserted that the regime is "lashing out like a wounded animal" because it is close to collapse.

He said ​that "large sections" of the Iranian army and security forces have "whispered" their loyalty to him and that he is uniquely positioned to ensure a stable transition for ⁠the country.

Pahlavi praised U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made repeated threats of military action against ​Iran in support of the protesters. He declined to say whether he had been in contact with Trump's top diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff, or the administration.

Evoking the Abraham Accords that Trump's first administration brokered between Israel and longtime rivals, Pahlavi mused about the possibility of "Cyrus Accords," in reference to the ancient Persian king.

Reza Pahlavi’s role in the Iran protests

Pahlavi's support within Iran to help lead a transition from clerical leadership has been questioned, including by Trump.

"I don't know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and ​certainly if they would, that would be fine with me," Trump said in a Reuters interview this week.

Pahlavi's father led an increasingly repressive state with a feared security service, but he said Friday his commitment to democracy was unwavering.

"The Iranian people are taking decisive action on the ground. It ⁠is now time for the international community to join them fully," Pahlavi said.

He said he was proposing a six-point plan that would include targeting the leadership of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, applying maximum economic pressure and sanctions, and deploying the satellite internet service Starlink and other tools to prevent the regime's ability to shut down the internet.

Western governments he said, should expel Iranian diplomats in their countries, demand and immediate release of political prisoners and recognize a transitional government "when the moment comes."

The White House said on Thursday that Trump is closely monitoring the situation on the ground and that many scheduled Iranian executions were halted. Trump has warned Tehran ​there would be "grave consequences" if killings linked to its crackdown continue.

But a cleric leading Friday prayers in Iran's capital demanded the death penalty for protesters.

UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on Iran’s protests

Cleric Ahmad Khatami's sermon carried by Iranian state radio sparked chants from those gathered for prayers, including: "Armed hypocrites should be put to death!"

Iranian authorities have accused foreign ‍enemies of fomenting it. Khatami, appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a member of both the country's Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council, hurled invectives on Friday toward Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iran's deadly crackdown appears to have broadly quelled protests for now, according to a rights group and residents, as state media reported more arrests on Friday in the shadow of U.S. Threats to intervene if the killing continues.

With information flows from Iran obstructed by an ​internet blackout, several residents of Tehran said the capital had been quiet since Sunday. They said drones were flying over the city, where they'd seen no sign of protests on Thursday or Friday.

Iranian-Kurdish rights group Hengaw said that there had been no protest gatherings since Sunday, saying "the security environment remains highly restrictive."

"Our independent sources confirm a heavy military and security presence in cities and towns where protests previously took place, as well ⁠as in several locations that did not experience major demonstrations," Norway-based Hengaw said in comments to Reuters.

There were, however, indications of unrest in some areas.

Hengaw reported that a female nurse was killed ‍by direct gunfire from government forces during protests in Karaj, west of Tehran. Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.

The state-affiliated Tasnim news outlet reported the arrest of five people accused of vandalizing a gas station and a base belonging to the Basij — a branch of the security forces often used to quell unrest — in the southeastern city of Kerman.

A death toll reported by U.S.-based rights group HRANA has increased little since Wednesday, currently standing at 2,677 people, including 2,478 protesters and 163 people identified as people ​affiliated with the government. Earlier this week, a Canadian citizen was confirmed to be among those killed.

Reuters has not been able to independently verify the HRANA death toll. The casualty numbers dwarf the death toll from previous bouts of unrest that have been suppressed by the state.

Khatami provided the first overall statistics on damage from the protests, claiming 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls and 20 other holy places had sustained damage. Another 80 homes of Friday prayer leaders, as well as hundreds of first responder vehicles, had also been damaged, he said.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Iran in separate calls on Friday with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and said that ​Moscow was willing to mediate in the region, the Kremlin said.

Russia called for a de-escalation in tensions in Iran, the Kremlin said, while Putin and Pezeshkian confirmed their commitment ⁠to a ​20-year strategic partnership agreement ​signed last ‍year, which includes joint economic projects. Russia has pursued closer ⁠ties with Iran since the start of its war in ‍Ukraine.

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