Politics Shah's son calls for further protests in Iran
In a new message to the protest movement in Iran, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah who was overthrown in 1979, calls for the next phase of the uprising "to overthrow the Islamic Republic".
12.01.2026, 01:37
SDA
In addition to the occupation of central streets in the cities, all institutions responsible for the propaganda of the state leadership and the interruption of communication are now "legitimate targets", he declared on the X platform. Due to the internet ban, however, it is unclear whether and to what extent people in Iran will even get to see his demands.
Pahlavi also called on all Iranian embassies and consulates outside Iran to replace the "shameful flag of the Islamic Republic" with the old flag that was last used during the reign of his father Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. His pro-Western monarchy was overthrown by an Islamic revolution in 1979. The Shah left the country with his family and died abroad.
New threats in Iran against demonstrators
Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf had previously accused the protest movement of wanting to create a basis for US military intervention. However, the "enemies" should know that the country's defenders would destroy them, he said according to a translation by the propaganda channel Press TV.
According to activists, the demonstrations have spread to 186 cities. 483 demonstrators have been killed, reported the US-based human rights network HRANA. A total of 544 people have died so far, including children and 47 security forces. Around 10,700 people have been arrested. A "new wave" of data and images has been received over the past 24 hours and is being examined, it said. The information could not be independently verified.
Iran's authorities have almost completely blocked internet access for the population, and some telephone lines also appeared to have stopped working.
