“You are an anti-Iran criminal,” the crown prince said. “You have neither honor nor humanity. Your hands are stained with the blood of tens of thousands of Iranians.”
Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi took aim at Iran’s leader and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday night, as the country’s internet shutdown entered its twelfth day and security forces maintained street conditions that residents described as near martial law.
In a video message posted on social media, Pahlavi addressed Iran’s leadership and public, blaming Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the ruling system for the bloodshed during weeks of unrest and urging Iranians not to let grief and fear stop the protest movement.
“I address Ali Khamenei, leader of the Iranian occupation regime:
You are an anti-Iran criminal,” the crown prince said. “You have neither honor nor humanity. Your hands are stained with the blood of tens of thousands of Iranians – the blood of children, young people and innocents.
“You, your regime and all your mercenaries will be held accountable for every drop of blood you shed – without exception.
“Just as Nazi criminals were tried and punished at Nuremberg, you and your accomplices will be tried and punished in the courts of the Iranian people.”
On January 18, 2026, the UK Committee for Free Iran and Stop Hate held a “Free Iran March” in London, England. Protesters held up photos of Iran’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his exiled son and Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi. (Image source: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE)
In his message, the crown prince also reiterated his call for Iranians to continue their protests against the Islamic Republic, saying: “The grief of losing Iran’s best sons and daughters is heavy. But we will transform this grief into conscious anger and into a firm will against Khamenei and all his internal and external enablers.”
“Get ready. The time to return to the streets is coming – broader, stronger, and more determined than ever; capture Tehran; take back Iran.”
The news comes as demonstrations across Iran have sharply diminished over the past few days amid a sweeping security crackdown, with armed forces deployed in major cities and numerous arrests reported.
Heavily armed patrols, movement restricted in city centers
Message delivered to jerusalem post In recent days, heavily armed patrols and restrictions on movement in city centers have been described.
Iran’s internet outage was one of the longest in recent years, severely limiting communications within the country and hampering independent verification of events there. Internet monitoring groups have reported sporadic connections since the outage began nearly two weeks ago.
Many people following the protests outside Iran told The Washington Post they had only a few minutes to talk, if any, to family back home.
On Sunday, an Iranian official in the region said authorities had verified at least 5,000 deaths during the protests, including about 500 members of the security forces. The official blamed the killings on what he called “terrorists and armed rioters” and accused them of attacking civilians and public infrastructure. Rights groups and opposition groups have disputed the figure, saying the actual number is much higher and could exceed 20,000, although the exact number remains difficult to confirm due to access restrictions.
“Continuing this struggle until final victory is not only a national obligation, but also a covenant with those who gave their lives on the road to freedom and with pure blood,” Pahlavi said of the victims of the regime’s repression. “Their names will not be forgotten – not in history, not in our national memory, not in our hearts.”
Pahlavi’s latest message comes against the backdrop of unusual damage to Iran’s state broadcaster. Anti-regime activists reported on Sunday that they had hacked into Iran’s Badr satellite, disrupting state television broadcasts and broadcasting Pahlavi’s message calling for continued resistance to clerical rule.
Satellite hacking video later shared by Pahlavi’s media team appeared to show his message being broadcast on Iranian state channels, along with Farsi-language slogans encouraging the protests, images of solidarity demonstrations by Iranian diaspora communities abroad, and expressions of support from international figures.
The video culminated with a recorded statement from Pahlavi in which he urged Iranians to prepare for new demonstrations despite the crackdown. He described the current lull in protests as temporary and warned that the regime was trying to drain the population of energy through fear, repression and isolation.
Iranian authorities did not immediately comment on the reported satellite leak, although state media later acknowledged that the broadcast had been subject to “technical interference” without specifying the cause.
With communications restricted and protests suppressed, activists and opposition figures say the coming days will be crucial in determining whether the movement can regroup or whether a security crackdown succeeds in restoring control.
