Deposed Shah’s Son Praises ‘Beginning Of Our Great National Celebration,’ Urges Vigilance In Wake Of Ayatollah’s Death

The last shah of Iran’s eldest son said Saturday the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei effectively marks the end of his birth country’s Islamic theocracy, which ousted his father from power 47 years ago.

President Donald Trump confirmed Saturday afternoon Khameni was killed during the daytime strikes against Iran carried out by the U.S. and Israel. Reza Pahlavi — whose father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ruled Iran from 1941 until his deposition in 1979 — called Khamenei a “bloodthirsty despot” and said the regime he had presided over will soon be in “the dustbin of history.”

“Ali Khamenei, the bloodthirsty despot of our time, the murderer of tens of thousands of Iran’s bravest sons and daughters, has been erased from the face of history,” Pahlavi, 65, wrote in a late Saturday post to X. “With his death, the Islamic Republic has in effect reached its end and will very soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.”

The last shah’s son stated that any “attempt by the remnants of the regime to appoint a successor to Khamenei is doomed to fail from the outset.”

“Whoever they place in his stead will have neither legitimacy nor longevity, and will undoubtedly be complicit in the crimes of this regime as well. To the military, law enforcement, and security forces: any effort to preserve a collapsing regime will fail,” he added. “This is your final opportunity to join the nation, to help ensure Iran’s stable transition to a free and prosperous future, and to take part in building that future.”