Hundreds of Iranians Praise Reza Pahlavi, Call for Trump Administration Support for Iranian Opposition

A number of Iranian opponents of the Islamic Republic have written an open letter to Donald Trump, the President of the United States, praising Prince Reza Pahlavi as the "most reliable national symbol" for "restoring order, legality, and stability to Iran". They called for the establishment of a financial fund under the supervision of the U.S. government to support the movement of the Iranian opposition. The letter, signed by hundreds of Iranians inside and outside the country, emphasizes that "Iranians have repeatedly declared the religious apartheid and plundering regime illegal and have expressed their love and affection for friendship with other free nations of the world." However, the signatories state that the opposition has not been successful in fighting the Islamic Republic due to "the lack of a coherent financial organization to support and fund this movement". They argue that "an effective and successful campaign on this scale needs financial support so that Iranians, alongside the most reliable national symbol of Iran, can fight against the Islamic apartheid and occupying regime by creating a financial fund under the supervision and auditing of the U.S. government and with an organized coalition." The signatories have requested that Donald Trump and the U.S. government proceed with "returning the assets of Iranians to their rightful owners", meaning the people of Iran, and that "the plundered wealth of the oppressed Iranian nation" by the "occupying Islamic Republic" be blocked "so that the people of Iran, after reclaiming their country, can use it to build a free and democratic Iran and its infrastructure." Donald Trump and his administration have repeatedly criticized how "the wealth of the Iranian people" is spent on the Islamic Republic's adventures in other parts of the world, accusing the regime of "plundering the wealth of Iranians" and "mistreating the people of Iran". Recently, Prince Reza Pahlavi also called for the U.S. and Western governments to seize the assets of Islamic Republic officials for the benefit of the opposition and opponents of this regime during a speech at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In the open letter, Prince Reza Pahlavi is referred to as the "most reliable national symbol of Iran" for "restoring political, ecological, economic, legality, order, and stability to Iran". The signatories remind that this description has been heard in the most remote villages and large cities of Iran for several years, especially during the nationwide protests in December 2017, and that Iranians have repeatedly expressed their support for Prince Reza Pahlavi to conduct free elections after the overthrow of the Islamic regime. They added that Iranians respect the oath of kingship based on the constitutional law and have consistently declared solidarity with Prince Reza Pahlavi from both monarchist and republican factions. They describe Prince Reza Pahlavi as a figure who "has proven over the past 39 years that his only goal is the freedom of more than 80 million Iranians held hostage and a non-violent transition to a democratic government with free elections to establish a secular democratic state." They stated that Iranians are willing to extend their hand of peace and friendship to the world and have "complete trust and confidence in their only national symbol, Prince Reza Pahlavi, to create stability in the most sensitive region of the world." The signatories also thanked Donald Trump as the "first world leader" who had the courage to speak directly with the people of Iran over the past 39 years and to hear their voices from the darkest corners of the Islamic authoritarian regime that has occupied Iran. They pointed to the Iranian people's efforts for a "uprising against the occupying and plundering religious regime", citing issues such as "widespread poverty and extreme destitution, corruption, bribery, drug and psychotropic substance abuse, prostitution, torture, public executions, and lack of fair trials" and assessed the Iranian people's desire to rebuild the country as similar to Donald Trump's idea of "making America great again". They concluded by reminding that "Iranians are peaceful and civilized people with a culture and history of several thousand years and believe that light will triumph over darkness, and our shared humanistic values with the free world will prevail over war, violence, insecurity, and chaos, and this can only be achieved through understanding and cooperation between nations." The open letter from Iranian opponents of the Islamic Republic to Donald Trump has been signed by more than 400 individuals inside and outside Iran, including a range of political and civil activists, students, university professors, and human rights activists.