Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah, addressed foreign dignitaries arriving in Tehran for the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying the Iranian people are not mourning him but rather are filled with fury over the deaths of over 40,000 Iranians he says were killed by the regime in January. He added that no leader of a democratic state attended the propaganda spectacle.
Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last Shah and a leading opposition figure, released a statement addressed to foreign dignitaries arriving in Tehran for the funeral ceremonies of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In the statement, Pahlavi asserted that the Iranian people are not mourning Khamenei but are instead seething with anger over the deaths of more than 40,000 Iranians he claims were killed on January 8 and 9 by Khamenei, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the regime's repressive apparatus.
Pahlavi described the state funeral as a propaganda spectacle financed with public funds and noted that no leader of a democratic nation attended the event. He characterized the Iranian people as filled with 'righteous fury and courage' that will ultimately bring about the collapse of the 'criminal regime's remnants.'
The statement comes amid a week of state funeral ceremonies in Tehran, which The Zioneer has been covering. Background items in our archive show that regime figures — including Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf, Judiciary Chief Mohsen Ezhe'i, and President Pezeshkian — have been calling for massive crowds and 'blood revenge' at the funeral, while also projecting unity among the branches of government. Pahlavi's message directly challenges that narrative, offering an opposition counter-frame from the pre-revolutionary royal family.
As of Saturday evening, the statement has been carried by the source 301 — Arab World, a source that has previously relayed Pahlavi's views. It has not been independently corroborated by state media or other major outlets at this time.
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