Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last Shah, has claimed that he is receiving private messages from serving members of Iran’s security forces, including personnel from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij, who say they oppose the country’s ruling establishment, AzerNEWS reports.
Speaking about the communications, Pahlavi said the number of security officials seeking to distance themselves from the Iranian government is growing.
According to Pahlavi, active members of Iran’s security apparatus have been contacting him through social media to express dissatisfaction with the current leadership and to explore ways of leaving the system.
“I began receiving some direct messages on my social media from people saying, ‘I’m a Basiji in Mashhad,’ or ‘I’m a member of the IRGC in such-and-such a country. We hate this regime. We’re not with them. We’re looking for an opportunity to break away,'” Pahlavi said.
He clarified that these contacts do not involve senior commanders within Iran’s security establishment.
“When I said to the media that I’m in touch with elements like that, it was in that context. It’s not like I’m talking to the IRGC command, not at all,” he said.
Pahlavi added that the messages have come from individual members of the Basij, the IRGC, and Iran’s regular military.
“There were elements of the Basij, of the Sepah, of course, the military as well, that would communicate with me discreetly, as a sign that this is where they stand,” he said.
Pahlavi, who has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has repeatedly called for political change in Iran and has sought to position himself as a figure capable of uniting opposition groups. Iranian authorities have consistently dismissed his statements and continue to regard him as an opponent of the Islamic Republic.