Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran posted this video message online on Wednesday as the world waits to see whether the U.S. will strike Iran’s government in response to a violent crackdown on protesters:

REZA PAHLAVI: Under the yoke of the Islamic Republic, Iran is identified in your minds with terrorism, extremism, and poverty. The real Iran is a different Iran. A beautiful, peace-loving, and flourishing Iran. It is the Iran that existed before the Islamic Republic, and it is the Iran that will rise again from its ashes the day the Islamic Republic falls. So let me be clear about how a free Iran will act toward its neighbors and the world, after the fall of this regime. In security and foreign policy, Iran’s nuclear military program will end. Support for terrorist groups will cease immediately. A free Iran will work with regional and global partners to confront terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking, and extremist Islamism. Iran will act as a friend and a stabilizing force in the region. And it will be a responsible partner in global security. In diplomacy, relations with the United States will be normalized and our friendship with America and her people will be restored. The State of Israel will be recognized immediately. We will pursue the expansion of the Abraham Accords into the Cyrus accords bringing together a free Iran, Israel, and the Arab world. A new chapter will begin, grounded in mutual recognition, sovereignty, and national interest. In energy, Iran holds some of the largest oil and gas reserves in the world. A free Iran will become a reliable energy supplier to the free world. Policy-making will be transparent. Iran’s actions will be responsible. Prices will be predictable. In transparency and governance, Iran will adopt and enforce international standards. Money laundering will be confronted. Organized corruption will be dismantled. Public institutions will answer to the people. In the economy, Iran is one of the world’s last great untapped markets. Our population is educated, modern, with a diaspora that connects it to the four corners of the world. A democratic Iran will open its economy to trade, investment, and innovation. And Iran will seek to invest in the world. Opportunity will replace isolation. This is not an abstract vision. It is a practical one. Grounded in national interest, stability, and cooperation. To achieve this, now is the time to stand with the Iranian people. The fall of the Islamic Republic and the establishment of a secular, democratic government in Iran will not only restore dignity to my people, it will benefit the region and the world. A free Iran will be a force for peace. For prosperity. And for partnership.
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