Iran’s exiled heir urges US, Israel to spare civilian infrastructure

On March 22, Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi voiced concern over US and Israeli strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran, emphasizing the distinction between state-run systems and assets belonging to the Iranian people.

“Iran is not the Islamic Republic,” Pahlavi wrote in a post on X, adding, “Civilian infrastructure belongs to the Iranian people and to the future of a free Iran.” He argued that while the regime’s infrastructure serves as “the machinery of repression and terror,” civilian assets are essential for the country’s reconstruction after any conflict.

Pahlavi called on US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to focus military efforts solely on the regime, urging them to spare civilian infrastructure. “I ask President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue targeting the regime and its apparatus of repression, while sparing the civilian infrastructure Iranians will need to rebuild our country,” he said.

The exiled prince, who has often positioned himself as a potential leader for a political transition in Iran, expressed confidence in the country’s eventual liberation. “With the support of the US and Israel, and above all the sacrifice of Iranian patriots, the hour of Iran’s freedom is at hand,” he added.

His statements come amid growing concerns over damage to critical infrastructure following Israel’s March 18 strike on the South Pars gas field near Asaluyeh, a key component of Iran’s energy sector. While the White House has sought to distance itself from the South Pars strike, President Trump recently escalated rhetoric, issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully reopened by March 23.

Pahlavi has lived in exile in the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which toppled his pro-Western father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

By Vafa Guliyeva