Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi has said that the new generation of Iranians have given up on reforming the clerical regime and see their future in putting an end to the Islamic Republic.

In an interview with Jewish Journal in late January and published on Thursday, Pahlavi said the new generation is realizing that the root cause of their problems is the Islamic system of government, which cannot be reformed.

Prince Pahlavi, who is a leading figure of opposition to the Islamic Republic, has long maintained that the people of Iran need to decide what form of government should replace the clerical political system in the future, regardless of if they choose monarchy or a republic.

He emphasized on the importance of non-violent methods of struggle against the regime, and insisted that in case of regime change, “80 percent of the government bureaucracy” should continue doing its job.

“I’ve been a student of Gene Sharp and the nonviolent civil disobedience movement, and I know people sometimes say that this regime is merciless. But I say, no. There has to be, at some point, a difference between us and them,” he argued.

The Islamic Republic has intensified its repression since 2017 and specially after the 2022-23 nationwide protests, killing more than 2,000 protesters in 2019 and in the latest round of street demonstrations.

In his interview, Pahlavi also said that if one day he returns to Iran, he will first visit the poorest and most underprivileged regions, such as the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.