Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “modern Hitler” and vowed to help pave the way for regime change, while Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, called on citizens to launch a national uprising.
“Cyrus freed the Jews, and today the Jewish state might free the Persians,” Netanyahu said in an Israeli television interview, according to the Times of Israel.
“In the end, they have to rise up themselves,” he added. “But we are creating the conditions — and that’s why it could be consequential.”
While insisting regime change is not the explicit objective of Israel’s ongoing military campaign, dubbed “Operation Rising Lion,” Netanyahu suggested the operation could mark a historic turning point in the Middle East.
“We’re going to see a different Middle East, a reality we haven’t seen until now,” he said, predicting that Israel’s relations with Arab nations could deepen further after the campaign, especially through the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
Calling the Iranian regime the region’s main threat, Netanyahu stated: “The Arab world has opened up to us — and the threat we face now is Iran. It’s either us or them.”
He also claimed that “80%” of Iranians “hate” the Khamenei-led regime and confirmed Israel intends to strike “additional regime facilities” as part of its broader operation.
The White House later confirmed that Netanyahu held a phone conversation with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, though no further details were disclosed.
Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi — the exiled crown prince and eldest son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — declared in a message on X that the Islamic Republic is “collapsing” and that its downfall is “inevitable.”
“The Islamic Republic has reached its end,” said Pahlavi, 64, in his call to action. “Khamenei, like a frightened rat, has gone into hiding underground and has lost control of the situation. What has begun is irreversible.”
Pahlavi, who has lived in exile near Washington, D.C., since 2001, appealed directly to the Iranian people, urging them to unite for a nationwide uprising.
“The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation,” he said. “All it takes now is a nationwide uprising to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.”
He called on citizens not to fear instability after the regime’s collapse, insisting that his team has a plan in place for the first hundred days post-fall and for establishing a democratic government “by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people.”
Pahlavi also encouraged military and government personnel not to stand against the people, warning, “Do not sacrifice yourselves for a decaying regime. By standing with the people, you can save your lives.”
“A free and flourishing Iran lies ahead of us,” he concluded. “May we be together soon.”
Pahlavi, who has long advocated for regime change, has previously urged the U.S. to apply “maximum pressure” on Tehran and has criticized President Joe Biden for what he views as a soft approach, in contrast to the Trump administration.
His latest remarks followed a Truth Social post by Trump demanding Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” in which the former president claimed to know “exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding” — while adding that the U.S. was “not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
“Our patience is wearing thin,” Trump warned.
