Exiled crown prince pleads for support from Labour Government as revolution explodes in Iran
Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who fled to the US with his father, the deposed Shah, after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, told The Mail on Sunday he is spearheading regime change.
By CAROLINE GRAHAM
Published: 23:19 GMT, 10 January 2026 | Updated: 09:36 GMT, 11 January 2026
The man who could be the next Shah of Iran has urged the Labour Government to ‘stand with the people in their hour of need’.
Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who fled to the US with his father, the deposed Shah, after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, told The Mail on Sunday he is spearheading regime change by offering members of Iran’s hated Revolutionary Guard and military the chance to secretly switch sides using a secure QR code.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of major cities across Iran on Friday night chanting ‘Bring back Pahlavi!’ as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to ‘not back down’. Unconfirmed reports said more than 200 people had been shot dead in the capital Tehran.
In exclusive comments to the MoS, the 65-year-old prince pleaded with Prime Minister Keir Starmer to support the uprising saying: ‘The Iranian people are moving forward with great courage and determination.
'In the last few days they have responded to my calls to action in their millions. I hope the UK Government will stand with the people in their hour of need and work with me to support a stable and responsible transition to democracy.
‘The time is now. Do not simply observe the birth of a new Iran, work with us to ensure that it is peaceful, stable, and worthy of the sacrifices its people are making.’
The regime has blocked the internet and phone services. But a QR code, previously broadcast on news outlets such as Iran International offers a ‘secure defection channel’ with ‘tens of thousands’ of military personnel already secretly signing on to support a new democratic government if the Ayatollah falls.
A source said: ‘The QR code allows the police and military and even the hated Iranian Revolutionary Guard to confidentially pledge their support for a regime change.
Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who fled to the US with his father, the deposed Shah, after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, told The Mail on Sunday he is spearheading regime change
A government building set alight close to the Iranian capital of Tehran. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of major cities across Iran on Friday night chanting ‘Bring back Pahlavi!’
‘The only way there will be a regime change is from within and if people within the army and military vow to uphold a democratic and peaceful Iran. The QR code cannot be decrypted.’
Prince Pahlavi told the MoS: ‘A key pillar of my strategy and to ensure a stable and peaceful transition lies in working with those inside the regime who choose to break from it and stand with the people.