The former Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, released a statement on March 22 calling for continued pressure on the Iranian regime while protecting the country’s civilian infrastructure. Pahlav distinguished between Iran as a nation and the Islamic Republic, emphasizing that “Iran’s civilian infrastructure belongs to the Iranian people and to the future of a free Iran. The Islamic Republic’s infrastructure is the machinery of repression and terror used to keep that future from becoming reality.”
Iran is not the Islamic Republic.
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) March 22, 2026
Iran’s civilian infrastructure belongs to the Iranian people and to the future of a free Iran. The Islamic Republic’s infrastructure is the machinery of repression and terror used to keep that future from becoming reality.
Iran must be…
Pahlav directly appealed to international leaders, writing, “I ask President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue targeting the regime and its apparatus of repression, while sparing the civilian infrastructure Iranians will need to rebuild our country.” He further stressed the importance of support from both external allies and domestic patriots, stating, “With the support of the US and Israel, and above all the sacrifice of Iranian patriots, the hour of Iran’s freedom is at hand. Long live Iran!”
The Crown Prince has previously expressed support for measures aimed at dismantling the Islamic Republic, advocating for precision strikes against regime structures while preserving the assets necessary for civilian reconstruction. His post aligns with this approach, focusing on the distinction between the state’s oppressive apparatus and the country’s civilian infrastructure, which he frames as essential for a post-regime recovery.
The strikes of operation epic fury have focused on command and control centers, IRGC headquarters, intelligence sites, ballistic missile facilities, air defense systems, naval assets, and weapons production and storage sites. In addition, the operation has resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader and over 40 top regime officials, further targeting the leadership responsible for the country’s repressive policies.
Pahlav comments reflect a strategic vision shared by some Iranian opposition figures: to dismantle the Islamic Republic’s structures of repression while preserving the foundations necessary for national recovery. By urging U.S. and Israeli leaders to focus their military efforts on the regime rather than civilian infrastructure, he underscores a commitment to both regime change and the long-term rebuilding of Iran as a sovereign nation.