Iran Protest: Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on Saturday urged citizens to take to the streets again at 6 pm over the weekend, issuing a fresh call for action as nationwide anti-government protests continue to escalate, following his earlier appeals that helped fuel the unrest.
Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has once again urged Iranians to return to the streets, calling for mass demonstrations and strikes to bring down the Islamic Republic.
The protests which began over economic problems in Iran has now escalated into a widespread anti-government movement, marking one of the most serious waves of unrest the country has seen in years. Over the past two weeks, thousands of people have taken to the streets in intense demonstrations against the current government.
Iran Protest: Reza Pahlavi Called People Back to the Streets
Reza Pahlavi appealed to Iranians to protest on Saturday and Sunday (January 10 and 11) from 6 pm onwards. In a message posted on X , he asked people to take control of public spaces and show national unity.
“Also, I ask all of you today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday (January 10 and 11), this time, from 6 pm, to come to the streets with flags, images, and national symbols and claim public spaces as your own. Our goal is no longer merely to come to the streets; the goal is to prepare for seizing the centers of cities and holding them,” he wrote.
هممیهنان عزیزم،
شما با شجاعت و ایستادگی خود، تحسین جهانیان را برانگیختهاید. حضور دگرباره و پرشکوهتان در خیابانهای سراسر ایران در شامگاه جمعه، پاسخی دندانشکن به تهدیدهای رهبر خائن و جنایتکار جمهوری اسلامی بود. یقین دارم که او این تصاویر را از مخفیگاهش دیده و از وحشت لرزیده… pic.twitter.com/MaQDiwkXRL
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 10, 2026
Pahlavi urged workers in transport, oil, gas and energy sectors to begin a nationwide strike. He said stopping work in these key industries would weaken the government and force change.
He asked them to bring the “Islamic Republic and its worn-out and fragile repression apparatus to its knees.”
Pahlavi also said he is preparing to return to Iran if the movement succeeds.
“I too am preparing to return to the homeland so that at the time of our national revolution’s victory, I can be beside you, the great nation of Iran. I believe that day is very near,” he wrote.
His family left Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after which clerical rule replaced the monarchy led by his father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Iran Protests Spread to Hundreds of Cities
The protests first began in a few markets in Tehran over economic hardship. They have now grown into a nationwide uprising.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), protests have spread to 512 locations across 180 cities in 31 provinces. Large crowds were seen in major cities, including Tehran, after Pahlavi called for stronger demonstrations.
In response, Iran’s leadership shut down internet and phone services to block communication among protesters.
Iran Crisis: Reza Pahlavi Urged Donald Trump for Help
Pahlavi also reached out to US President Donald Trump, asking him to support Iranian protesters. He said people were being shot while the government blocked internet and phone lines.
Through a post on X, he made an “urgent and immediate call” for Trump’s intervention.
“Ali Khamenei, fearing the end of his criminal regime at the hands of the people and with the help of your powerful promise to support the protesters, has threatened the people on the streets with a brutal crack down. And he wants to use this blackout to murder these young heroes,” he added.
Mr. President, this is an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support, and action. Last night you saw the millions of brave Iranians in the streets facing down live bullets. Today, they are facing not just bullets but a total communications blackout. No Internet. No…
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 9, 2026
Iran Death Toll: How Serious Is the Crackdown?
Rights groups say at least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 people arrested since the protests began on December 28. In cities like Tehran and Mashhad, crowds are chanting “Death to the dictator” and openly calling for the return of the monarchy under Pahlavi.
Iran vs US: What Are Trump and Khamenei Saying?
Iran Supreme Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that the enemies did not truly understand Iran, and that just as US flawed and planning had caused failure in the past, their current schemes were also bound to fail.
Our enemies don’t know Iran. In the past, the US failed due to their flawed planning. Today too, their flawed scheming will cause them to fail.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 9, 2026
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Trump of having “blood of Iranians on his hands”, referring to the 12-day war in June, which he said killed more than 1,000 people.
In the 12-Day War, more than a thousand of our country’s citizens were martyred. The US President said he ordered this. So, he confessed that the Iranians’ blood was on his hands. Now he’s saying that he’s on the side of the Iranian nation!
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 9, 2026
Trump responded by warning Iran’s rulers not to use deadly force. He said the US would strike Iran “very, very hard where it hurts” if violence against protesters continues.
