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Chasing the apocalypse: Radical Shiite clerics on American soil preach prophetic showdown with US

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FIRST ON FOX: For many, the war with Iran — and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — might seem like the climactic end to a long, brutal reign of terror by the theological clerics who have run the country since 1979.

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But a Fox News Digital investigation reveals that, for certain hardline Shiite ideologues, including in the U.S., this is not an ending but a prophetic showdown that will usher in the arrival of the «Mahdi,» a messiah, according to Islamic eschatology, or the theology of end times. 

In this prophecy, Mahdi will emerge to battle Dajjal, the Islamic equivalent of the Antichrist, in a final battle of Armageddon. For many of these ideologues, President Donald Trump is Dajjal.

At a recent Friday sermon at a local Shiite mosque in northern Virginia, an imam closed prayer with an earnest plea, before war broke out in Iran: «May Allah destroy all the nonbelievers – or kafiroon or munafiqoon,» he said, using Arabic words that refer to «nonbelievers» and «hypocrites.» 

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He asked for this victory «before the arrival of Imam Mahdi.»

Fox News Digital observed the sermon and also witnessed a special table of honor in the middle of the mosque’s main prayer hall, featuring framed photos of Khamenei embracing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah, also killed by Israel for orchestrating terrorist attacks.

In June 2025, a northern Virginia mosque co-organizes a White House protest with far-left groups backing the Iranian regime; a demonstrator flashes an apocalyptic «Mahdi» flag. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)

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The Friday service at the Manassas Mosque reveals a theological dynamic that Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned about in early February, noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s leaders are guided not merely by geopolitics and national security considerations, but by «pure theology.»

«We have to understand that Iran ultimately is governed, and its decisions are governed by Shiite clerics — radical Shiite clerics — who make policy decisions on the basis of pure theology,» Rubio said.

In its investigation, Fox News Digital conducted a digital analysis of hours of sermons and scores of pages of pro-regime protest slogans, messaging and social media posts, using large-language models, and found clerics, community leaders and media platforms in the U.S. framing tensions with Iran in explicitly apocalyptic terms rooted in eschatology, or Islamist end-times theology. 

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The investigation found that precepts shaping Tehran’s worldview, from its clerics to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are also being preached on American soil by proxies for Iran’s propaganda.

From the mosque in northern Virginia to religious institutions in Michigan and Texas, clerics aligned with the Islamic Republic are advancing a doomsday interpretation of faith that casts geopolitical and military confrontation with the U.S. as part of a prophetic destiny tied to the return of the Mahdi.

After war broke out Friday night, Fox News Digital witnessed pro-regime chats on messaging platforms, like Telegram, filled with prayers, awaiting «the arrival» of Mahdi. 

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«We need Al Mahdi…His return with Jesus will be the final win permanently,» one read.

«The saviour the warrior the dominator ‘ imam mahdi ’ [sic] will arrive,» read another.

Last summer, the Manassas Mosque co-organized a White House protest with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the ANSWER Coalition, CodePink and other far-left groups to support the Iranian regime. The groups are now again protesting Trump’s military action against Iran. 

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One demonstrator, wearing a black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarf over her face, carried a flag last summer that read «Labayk ya Mahdi» in Arabic, meaning, «At your service, oh, Mahdi.» 

In Farsi, Arabic and English, the flag also had the message, «I dedicate every single of my steps to your reappearance.» 

Clerics aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran promote end-times theology.

U.S. clerics and media platforms promote Islamic «end times» theology that predicts the arrival of the Mahdi, or Messiah, to end «corruption» in the world. (TMJ News Network/Instagram @TMJNewsNetwork and 313 Wisdom of Imams/@313.wisdom)

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Pro-regime mosques, K-12 schools and local community organizations in the U.S. are «producing messaging that mirrors Tehran’s talking points almost word for word,» warned Andrew Ghalili, policy director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, an advocacy group led by Iranian Americans who oppose the theocratic regime running Iran.

In an upcoming report, «The Ayatollahs’ Influence Network in the United States,» reviewed by Fox News Digital, the group’s researchers conclude the Islamic Republic of Iran spreads «Tehran’s messaging» in a network of institutions it supports in the U.S., for example, pitting Trump as the Dajjal fighting defenders of the Mahdi, like Khamenei and now his successors.

«What we’re seeing is years of deliberate investment by the Islamic Republic inside the United States,» Ghalili told Fox News Digital. 

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«This is happening on American soil, and it’s just another way in which the regime poses a direct threat to the United States, this time not with missiles but through infiltration,» he said.

A gunman just killed three in Austin, Texas, wearing a sweater that said, «PROPERTY OF ALLAH.» According to media reports, law enforcement officials found the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and photos of its leaders in his home.

Pro-regime protesters

On March 1, 2026, in Sana’a, Yemen, pro-Iran protesters brandish billboards depicting the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, flags of Yemen and Iran, weapons, and chant slogans at a rally held to condemn the U.S.-Israel aerial attacks on Iran and the killing of Khamenei and several military officials. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

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After the recent Friday service, two community leaders at the Manassas mosque declined to speak for attribution but told Fox News Digital that the rhetoric of destroying «nonbelievers» and the photos of Khamenei and the terrorist group leaders are meant to challenge «injustice» before the Mahdi appears.

A Harvard University report on «The Hidden Imam and the End of Time» recognizes the world’s two billion Muslims hold a range of beliefs regarding eschatology and many reject strict or literal interpretations.

In the majority Sunni sect and the minority Shiite sect of Islam, clerics describe the Mahdi’s army traveling from modern-day Iran to Damascus, Syria, where Jesus would appear at the Umayyad Mosque and pray behind the Mahdi. The Mahdi’s forces would battle Dajjal in Syria and kill him in Lod, Israel, conquering the world.

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Days ago, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency repeated the end-times narrative, quoting Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, claiming the regime is the «government of Imam Mahdi» and its anti-U.S. «resistance is the path to hastening his reappearance.»

Iranians celebrated the birthday of Imam Mahdi.

With the dramatic backdrop of an American flag, skulls for stars and the message «DOWN WITH THE U.S.A.» over the flag’s stripes, Iranians attended a state-organized rally in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, celebrating the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or the «Hidden Imam,» a 9th-century saint whom Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of time as a messiah to end tyranny and promote justice. In the U.S., Shiite clerics and mosques held similar celebrations, also vilifying the U.S. and supporting the regime running the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

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For women’s rights activist Sara Ghorbani, a writer who fled Iran’s rigid theocratic rule in 2010, the regime’s death grip on power is disturbing.

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«We’re fighting an evil that the world doesn’t truly comprehend in its belief that it has a divine mandate to usher in a day of apocalypse,» Ghorbani told Fox News Digital. 

«Our brave people in Iran are fighting a tyranny that believes it is God’s salvation for this earth when, in fact, it is a cruel and ungodly regime that is actually their own prophecy of Dajjal,» added Ghorbani, who created a short video of children the Iranian regime allegedly killed in recent weeks.

Families said their children were killed in Iran

Women’s rights activist Sara Ghorbani uses her Instagram account to share the stories of children allegedly killed by Iranian security forces amid recent protests against the country’s leaders. She challenges the narrative that the regime is fighting «injustice» by the U.S. «empire.» (Sarah Ghorbani/Instagram @sara.ghorbani13)

In Dearborn, Michigan, Usama Abdulghani, imam at the Hadi Institute, recently posted a controversial video on a YouTube channel for «Light of Guidance,» which says on its YouTube page that its content isn’t connected to any other organization. 

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Before war broke out, he warned congregants that «the empire is now right outside the door» of Iran, in the form of U.S. forces. The Hadi Institute and the Light of Guidance didn’t respond to requests for comment about the cleric’s statements.

In another lecture, he reassured congregants, «Iran has been waiting for the mother of all battles for 47 years,» since 1979. He said Americans shouldn’t fight «for this empire.»

He urged congregants to engage in a «clarification jihad» and convert Americans to Islam «before Imam Mahdi returns.»

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In its report, the National Union for Democracy in Iran alleges that the Hadi Institute is a «rhetorically aggressive node in the pro-Iran ecosystem.» It has a publishing enterprise that says on its website that its staff «deliver an unfiltered message in promoting an Islamic worldview in preparation of the Mahdi.» The Hadi Institute and its publishing initiative didn’t respond to questions about the criticisms about its work.

It alleges anti-U.S. propaganda, like the doomsday scenario, is often expressed at venues supported by a pro-regime New York-based 501(c)(3) organization, the Alavi Foundation, which it alleges has built «durable, institution-based influence networks operating inside the United States through religious, educational and nonprofit structures.» 

In its latest IRS Form 990 filing, the Alavi Foundation, headquartered on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan, reported $58 million in assets. The Alavi Foundation didn’t respond to a request for comment about the allegations that it promotes propaganda that supports the regime in Iran. 

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At one point, Abdulghani reassured his congregation that Iran would defeat U.S. forces, saying, «Iran has something for these guys. Don’t be worried about Iran. Iran has been waiting for the mother of all battles for 47 years. They’ve been waiting for this. Iran is prepared. Don’t worry about that. Iran’s going to be able to handle its business.»

In a new report, researchers at the National Contagion Research Institute, based in Princeton, N.J., analyzed regime narratives alleging the CIA and Israel’s Mossad spy agency, fomented January’s protests against the regime, an allegation that Abdulghani repeated. They found «decentralized influence networks,» including in the U.S., «operationalize and amplify» pro-regime narratives.

The pro-regime messaging even invokes the end-times narrative to children. In late December, the «Muslim Student Association Persian-Speaking Group of North America» shared a video showing children coloring paper masks, swords and shields labeled «Ya Mahdi, Labayk,» or «Oh Mahdi, come.» The children staged mock attacks with their paper weapons amid Legos and glitter.

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A few years ago, a video from the Islamic Education Center of Houston went viral in Iran, featuring students saying they would be soldiers for Imam Mahdi, singing, «I make an oath to be your martyr.» The center didn’t respond to requests for comment, but an academic told the local media the video was metaphorical allegiance to a religious figure.

Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia

The Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia is a Shiite mosque that includes photos of Iran’s supreme leader embracing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah before both were killed by Israel in 2024 for orchestrating terrorist attacks. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)

The messianic messaging also extends to pro-regime media platforms. Earlier this month, a media website, TMJ News Network, published an article headlined, «The Promise of Justice Amid Corruption,» featuring an image of convicted child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein alongside a green-cloaked silhouette and images of other figures referenced in documents released by the Justice Department. Only Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell has been implicated in illegal conduct in connection with the Epstein case. 

The article stated that «against this backdrop, the Mahdist movement represents a promise of justice.»

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On the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, the pro-regime Light of Guidance hosted an assistant imam, Hassan Salamey, who invoked «the Epstein list» to denounce «the Satanic» West.

«The Islamic Republic is the system that is working to prepare the grounds for the saviors who will come side by side: Jesus, the son of Mary, and the Mahdi from the final prophet’s line,» he said. «This is the transitional government that will lead the fight to save us all.»

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Back at the Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia, congregation members closed their prayers seeking to «destroy all the nonbelievers,» the portraits of Khamenei, Sinwar and Nasrullah over their shoulders.

Fox News Digital’s Hannah Brennan, Tessa Hoyos and Nikos DeGruccio contributed to this report.

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Ecuador se somete a la quinta evaluación del FMI con un posible desembolso en puerta

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FOTO DE ARCHIVO. Una vista del logotipo del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) en su sede en Washington, D.C., EEUU, el 24 de noviembre de 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier//Foto de archivo

El equipo técnico del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) iniciará en marzo de 2026 la quinta revisión de metas del acuerdo de crédito vigente con Ecuador, en el marco del Servicio Ampliado del Fondo (SAF), un programa de 48 meses aprobado en mayo de 2024 y ampliado en julio de 2025. De superarse esta evaluación, el país podría acceder a un nuevo desembolso estimado en alrededor de USD 400 millones, según el cronograma previsto del programa.

El acuerdo contempla un financiamiento total equivalente a DEG 3.750 millones —aproximadamente USD 5.000 millones— y tiene como objetivo fortalecer la sostenibilidad fiscal y de la deuda, proteger a los grupos vulnerables, reconstruir los colchones de liquidez, salvaguardar la estabilidad macroeconómica y financiera y avanzar en reformas estructurales orientadas a un crecimiento sostenible e inclusivo. Desde su entrada en vigencia, Ecuador ha recibido desembolsos acumulados por cerca de USD 3.330 millones, tras completar cuatro revisiones previas, según reportó Primicias.

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La más reciente evaluación concluida por el Directorio Ejecutivo del FMI fue la cuarta revisión, en diciembre de 2025, que permitió un desembolso inmediato de aproximadamente USD 630 millones. En esa ocasión, el organismo señaló que el desempeño del programa seguía siendo sólido, que se cumplieron todos los criterios cuantitativos de desempeño a finales de octubre de 2025 y que las metas estructurales correspondientes a esa etapa habían sido alcanzadas. Con ese desembolso, el total entregado hasta entonces ascendió a alrededor de USD 3.300 millones bajo el acuerdo vigente.

FOTO DE ARCHIVO. El gobierno
FOTO DE ARCHIVO. El gobierno de Daniel Noboa ha optado por el apoyo de las multilaterales de crédito. REUTERS/Henry Romero

La quinta revisión evaluará el cumplimiento de compromisos correspondientes al cierre de 2025 e inicios de 2026. Entre las metas estructurales previstas se encuentran la preparación y socialización de un marco conceptual y operativo para actualizar el Sistema Oficial de Contrataciones Públicas (SOCE), así como la aprobación y publicación de un plan estratégico para mitigar riesgos de lavado de activos y financiamiento del terrorismo identificados en la Evaluación Nacional de Riesgos aprobada en 2024, de acuerdo con medios locales. El cumplimiento de estos hitos, junto con los objetivos cuantitativos en materia fiscal y financiera, es condición para que el Directorio autorice el nuevo desembolso.

Los programas tipo SAF establecen revisiones periódicas que combinan metas cuantitativas —como resultados fiscales, acumulación de reservas o límites al endeudamiento— y compromisos cualitativos o estructurales, que pueden incluir reformas normativas, planes de acción institucional o mejoras en la gobernanza. El esquema opera bajo el principio de desembolsos escalonados: cada tramo se libera una vez que el país demuestra avances en los objetivos acordados.

En el balance macroeconómico más reciente divulgado por el FMI tras la cuarta revisión, el organismo destacó que la economía ecuatoriana mostraba señales de recuperación, con un crecimiento proyectado del PIB real de 3,4% en 2025, baja inflación promedio y superávits en cuenta corriente, lo que contribuía al fortalecimiento de las reservas internacionales. También subrayó avances en la consolidación fiscal y en la reducción de los diferenciales soberanos, aunque advirtió que la economía sigue expuesta a riesgos externos, como la volatilidad de los precios del petróleo y de los mercados financieros internacionales.

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Si se aprueba la revisión,
Si se aprueba la revisión, Ecuador podría recibir un nuevo desembolso del FMI .(Pixabay)

De aprobarse la quinta revisión, quedarían pendientes cuatro evaluaciones adicionales hasta 2028 y desembolsos por aproximadamente USD 1.265 millones en el marco del programa actual. Paralelamente, el país enfrenta un calendario creciente de pagos al propio FMI por créditos contratados en años anteriores: en 2026 deberá cancelar alrededor de USD 1.090 millones, cifra que aumenta en 2027 y 2028.

En este contexto, la evaluación prevista para marzo se inscribe en una fase en la que los desembolsos tienden a disminuir progresivamente, mientras el país avanza hacia la parte final del programa. La decisión del Directorio dependerá del grado de cumplimiento de las metas acordadas y de la valoración técnica sobre la consistencia de la política fiscal y de las reformas estructurales en curso.

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Gas prices could jump as Middle East tensions threaten global oil supply

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Americans could soon see higher gas prices as escalating tensions in the Middle East threaten a critical global oil chokepoint, raising fears of supply disruptions that could quickly reverberate across U.S. energy markets.

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After joint U.S.–Israeli strikes, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, targeted Iranian sites over the weekend and killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, concerns quickly shifted to how Tehran might respond and whether oil infrastructure or tanker traffic could become collateral damage.

Any disruption to global crude supplies could translate into higher costs for American drivers at the pump.

«Every time we’ve had flare-ups in the Middle East like we’re seeing right now — and we’ve seen this kind of situation periodically over the last 50 years — it has caused significant disruption to energy markets,» economist Stephen Moore told Fox News Digital. 

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«I would expect we could see anywhere from 25 to 50 cents a gallon increase in gas prices in the short term,» he said.

Experts say Americans will likely pay more for gas due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Market data already shows prices moving higher.

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Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said oil prices were up $5 per barrel, while wholesale gasoline prices had risen 11 cents per gallon.

He expects retail gas prices to begin climbing immediately, especially in areas where stations tend to adjust prices in sharp, periodic jumps.

The national average could hit $3 per gallon as soon as Monday, De Haan said, with some stations increasing prices by 10 to 30 cents this week and potentially more in markets that see larger price swings.

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Moore warned that prices could climb further and remain elevated if vital transit routes or oil facilities are disrupted.

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A person watches a smoke plume rise in the distant in Tehran, Iran on March 2, 2026.

The ongoing conflict in Iran is near a major energy corridor. (Contributor/Getty Images)

«Huge amounts of global oil travel through the Strait of Hormuz, so this could be incredibly disruptive, delaying delivery of oil and gas,» he said.

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«The Iranians have already knocked out some oil facilities in the Middle East, and who knows what they’re up to next. When you have less supply, prices go up. The big question is whether this will be a temporary bump or something more prolonged.»

The ongoing conflict sits near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors.

«This shipping route represents around 25% of global oil trade and 23% of liquefied natural gas trade,» explained Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS.

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The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman that has long been a flashpoint during regional crises, serves as a vital artery for global energy markets.

Roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products — about one-fifth of global oil supply — transit the strait each day, underscoring how disruption there can quickly send shockwaves through international energy markets.

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A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supply, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supply, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.  (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025/Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

Highlighting the growing concern, Maersk, widely regarded as a bellwether for global ocean freight, said it will suspend all vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice and cautioned that services to Arabian Gulf ports may be delayed.

Still, not all price movements are immediate.

«Developments over the weekend in the Middle East should hypothetically take time to ripple into the global supply chain. An initial assessment would suggest no specific price impacts should be seen in the gasoline market across the world, including the U.S.,» Brito told Fox News Digital.

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However, Brito said prices could climb quickly if markets expect trouble ahead, even before supplies are actually affected.

As a result, Brito said, developments in Iran may have already translated into higher gasoline, diesel and other fuel prices in parts of the U.S., depending on regional supply dynamics and individual company pricing strategies.

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Cars are backed up on a Florida turnpike.

Experts say the increase in gas prices will be largely determined by how long the conflict in the Middle East lasts. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

From a domestic standpoint, Brito added that gasoline prices follow a seasonal pattern, typically climbing during the summer travel months.

«March prices are not expected to be significantly high,» he said, noting that spring break travel could support demand in certain areas — but not at the level seen during peak summer driving season.

Ultimately, the direction of gasoline prices will depend less on seasonal demand and more on how the geopolitical situation unfolds in the days ahead.

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Exiled crown prince calls on Iranian people to ‘finish the job,’ cheers Trump’s ‘humanitarian intervention’

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Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran, described the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on the country as promised «aid» and an act of «humanitarian intervention» by President Donald Trump.

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Following the reported strikes, Pahlavi urged Iranians to abandon the regime and called on security forces to defect.

«Moments of destiny lie ahead of us,» Pahlavi wrote in a statement on social media. «Even with the arrival of this aid, the final victory will still be forged by our hands. It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish the job in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is near.»

Pahlavi declared that the Islamic Republic is collapsing.

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Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran, described the joint U.S.-Israel attack on the country as promised «aid» and an act of «humanitarian intervention» by President Donald Trump. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

He framed the reported strikes as assistance directed not at Iran itself, but at its ruling clerical establishment and urged the U.S. to «exercise the utmost caution» to preserve civilian lives.

«The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived,» Pahlavi wrote. «This is a humanitarian intervention; and its target is the Islamic Republic, its repressive apparatus, and its machinery of slaughter — not the country and great nation of Iran.»

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Pahlavi issued a blunt warning to Iran’s military, police and security services, urging them to break ranks with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

«Now that the Islamic Republic is collapsing, my message to the country’s military, police, and security forces is clear: You have sworn an oath to protect Iran and the Iranian people — not the Islamic Republic and its leaders,» he wrote.

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Smoke rising on Tehran skyline after Israel-US attack on Iran

People watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo)

«Your duty is to defend the people, not a regime that has taken our homeland hostage through repression and crime. Join the people and help bring about a stable and secure transition. Otherwise, you will go down with Khamenei’s sinking ship and his regime.»

His appeal mirrored past opposition efforts to persuade Iran’s security forces to switch sides — a move that could determine whether protests spread or the regime tightens its grip.

While predicting imminent change, Pahlavi stopped short of urging immediate street demonstrations. He warned citizens to remain in their homes and stay vigilant so that when he announces an «appropriate time,» Iranians can «return to the streets for the final action.»

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«We are very close to final victory,» he wrote. «I want to be by your side as soon as possible so that together we can take back and rebuild Iran.»

He also indicated he would maintain communication even if authorities moved to restrict internet or satellite access — a tactic Iranian officials have used during prior waves of unrest.

Thick smoke billows over buildings in Tehran following Israeli airstrikes.

Smoke rises over the city after the Israeli army launched a second wave of airstrikes on Iran in Tehran on Feb. 28, 2026. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Pahlavi thanked Trump for what he characterized as support while again urging caution to avoid civilian casualties.

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«I now ask you to exercise the utmost caution to preserve the lives of civilians and my compatriots,» he wrote, adding that «the people of Iran are your natural allies and those of the free world.»

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Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled Iran’s monarchy and established the Islamic Republic.

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In recent years, he has sought to position himself as a unifying opposition figure during waves of anti-regime protests, including demonstrations sparked by economic turmoil and the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.

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