Iranian Princess Noor Pahlavi Calls on Citizens to Reclaim Their Country Amid Rising Unrest
Iran’s Princess Noor Pahlavi, daughter of the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and granddaughter of former Shah Mohammad Reza, has emerged as a prominent voice for Iranians struggling under the Islamic Republic.
Born and raised in the United States, she speaks daily with people inside Iran, amplifying their calls for change even as the country faces military pressure from the US and Israel.
“The main messages I get from inside are just constantly asking to remind everyone not to leave the regime standing,” Noor told The Jerusalem Post. “That’s the main fear. They’re only afraid that the regime will stay in power after all of this, and then they’ll be dealing with 47 years’ worth of devastation of the country and then a more brutal crackdown.”
For Noor, the current wave of protests and unrest in Iran represents the culmination of decades of frustration. “Iranians didn’t suddenly decide to reject the Islamic Republic,” she explained.
“Each generation tried to see if the system could change, and each time the answer was repression and increased brutality, increased bloodshed.”
The Pattern of Repression
Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which forced her family into exile, successive generations have tested the limits of the regime, only to encounter similar repression.
Noor highlighted the recurring cycles of protest in 1999, 2009, and 2022, and noted that the regime’s treatment of women has been a particular flashpoint.
“Within weeks there were protests in the streets against the compulsory hijab and against the loss of women’s rights that had previously been in place,” she said, reflecting on the immediate aftermath of the revolution.
The death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 under regime custody over hijab laws triggered nationwide protests, giving rise to the Women, Life, Freedom movement. “The thing that was most notable for me in that movement was seeing the youth that had no part in bringing about this government and had their whole lives ahead of them, risk their lives for a better future they might not see.”
The princess emphasized the regime’s particularly severe abuses against children and women. “We’ve witnessed unimaginable crimes being committed against the children of Iran – child marriage, rape, torture, jail, execution, abductions.
The regime even went as far as attacking schoolgirls, beating them, poisoning them, and killing them for participating in the Women, Life, Freedom movement. I rarely get angry, but when I witness the atrocities that this regime commits against children, it sets a fire in my chest.”
A Legacy of Duty
Noor described her own involvement as driven by a sense of familial responsibility. “I feel a duty to honor the legacy of my family… fighting for the Iranian people, for their progress and modernization and their future and their freedom,” she said. She noted that while she is in exile, her role is secondary to those inside Iran who face direct danger. “Nothing compares to the risks that people inside Iran face. Whatever we face in exile is nothing compared to what they endure.”
Her father, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, has positioned himself as a transitional leader for Iran, proposing plans to rebuild the nation post-regime collapse. Noor explained that millions of Iranians have placed their trust in her father’s vision.
“My father has offered himself as a bridge to the future,” she said. “Under the Iran Prosperity Project’s Emergency Phase, just four months after the fall of the regime, a referendum is planned in which the people can choose their own constitutional future.”
Hope for a Democratic Iran
Looking ahead, Noor envisions a democratic Iran that could reshape regional dynamics. She stressed the importance of potential future relations with Israel, both as a lesson and a stabilizing influence in the Middle East. “Another democratic stronghold in the Middle East is beneficial to both Israel and the world,” she said.
Despite ongoing military operations and global scrutiny, Noor remains confident in the resilience of Iranians. “Iranians never expected overthrowing this regime to be easy.
They’re dealing with monsters that have no qualms shedding the blood of innocent people to remain in power,” she told the Post. Yet, she added, the fundamental change has already begun. “From the thousands of messages the princess receives from inside Iran, that much is clear.”
