Iran’s former crown prince on its potential path to democracy

I don't call it a protest anymore. This. is a revolution. People have had it with. this regime. Now is an opportunity to put an end to. this misery. And this regime has proven. that is willing to massacre thousands of. people just to keep themselves in power. for the whole world to see. I wish the. world was witness to what has happened. in the last 72 hours. The number of. victims and the way they have done it. We're talking about a conflict where. people are getting butchered and.

massacred and they have no means to. defend themselves and an intervention. will be that the hand of foreign. governments that can come and help us to. push back about this atrocity is needed. Do you see yourself as a as more of a. unifying figurehead or do you see. yourself actually wielding power? >> I'm talking about this phase of. transition being the only person that. people can trust as being a neutral. arbitrator. >> to run the thing. I have offered my. services in that capacity and I believe.

the trust that people have. given to me. behooves me to respond to that call and. say, I accept that. responsibility. I'm not working alone, obviously. I'm trying to bring as many. people who are like-minded on the basis. of three very simple principles. Number. one is Iran territorial integrity. The. second principle that we invoke, a clear. separation of religion from state. Not. to have yet again a dominant single. ideology and.

the most important point, a guarantee of self-determination by. means of free elections and that's. ultimately what leads us to a democratic. alternative. Now, my role in all this is. to make sure that A, at least these core. principles are achieved. B, that the. temporary government enables the nation. to have several options of electing. their representative in a constitutional. assembly to ultimately determine the. form and shape that such future secular.

democracy will take. It's a process. And. the minute the ultimate will of the. people is ratified by means of a final. referendum, the temporary government. will transfer power to that elected. parliament and new government. But just. to be very clear, that that period will. take a while. In that period, you will. rule by decree? This is not a process. where a temporary government gets. elected. It is a voluntary step taken by. people like myself and whoever I'm. working with, which of course the.

endorsement and the support of the. people. I'm not doing this against their. will. I'm doing it at their ask. That's. the difference. So, the ask itself means. that they want this to happen and they. want to be able to trust someone. and that that person at this point is me. to do that for them. And as I said, I'm. not doing this alone. >> Well, there are there are many people. You have You have a number of. a reasonably large fraction of the. Iranian population is a fervent. supporters of yours, but not everybody. is. Not everybody is. What is the. legitimacy that you are using to do.

this? I mean, you know, one could say. you're coming in, you've spent your. entire life since you were in your a. teenager outside the country. Your. father was not exactly a popular figure. and now you're coming in and saying, "Right, I'm here in charge again and. this is what I'm going to do.". >> I'm only responding to what people are. asking for. What name has been chanted in the. streets of Iran in the last few months? What name do you see be written on the. walls? What slogans have they chanted in. the recent weeks? They have chanted the name of my family.

They have called for me specifically. I think that's pretty much of an. indication of what the people want. >> I guess that's what I'm asking. Do you. think that Yes, there have clearly been. chants for you. >> sufficient to establish a party? >> right? Of course it's not everybody. Do. Can you tell me anywhere in the world. that there's somebody has a 100% vote of. everybody? Of course not. But the majority believe in that. direction. It's not even an issue of the. final form. Republicans, monarchists, that's not even the debate. I'm not here. to advocate on outcome, but I'm a bridge. to that destination.

I think one of the things that we've. learned and learned particularly in the. Middle East that it is quite hard to. build democracies and particularly when. you have power vacuums and when you have. had decades of repression. When you look. at that history, what have you learned. from other countries about things that. you'd like to avoid to ensure that this. transition that you're laying out will. be successful? First of all, do not. underestimate. the intelligence. and the knowledge that my fellow. Iranians have inside Iran.

Despite the fact. of the brainwashing that went into their. heads, they are extremely smart when it comes. to these matters. Just if you were to be. able to talk to today's Gen Z in Iran, they are way ahead of what you think. as you just described it is hard to do. it in the Middle East. Number one, number two, today we have Iranians. that are third generation when their. parents had to leave Iran in the late.

70s as a result of the revolution or. shortly after. They now reside and have are citizens of. countries like Sweden, like the United. States, like New Zealand and Australia, like Japan. Many of these countries, known. democracies, functioning democracies and. as citizens of those countries, they. have learned how to assimilate, adapt. and learn in practice. all the value systems of these countries. that have a democratic culture. I don't.

doubt all of the history and. capabilities and the power of the. diaspora, but there are also a very. large number of people within Iran who. rely essentially financially on this. regime. There are a lot of people who. are essentially they and their families. doing very well, corrupt or not corrupt, out of this regime. What is it that you. will do to ensure that you have those. people on side, that you don't wreck the.

institutions of the country, but that. you do consolidate the change? >> Look, I'm not sure I totally agree with what. you just said. That is not so. overwhelmingly widespread those who. benefit from this regime. I still think. that this is a very ruling corrupt mafia. that basically only distribute shares. among themselves while the nation is. starving. Look, we're talking about. devaluation of our currency at levels. that are just. unfathomable. You're talking about the rate of. inflation. You're talking about.

the levels of the poverty line in Iran. This is for a nation that in terms of. its resources. >> right? It's 10,000 people that are. attached to the regime. >> look, it's not it's not a healthy. system. It's not a healthy economy and. the potentials that exist in Iran. Even. for those who You might say. think that they somehow benefit from the. status quo. They could be 10 times richer. when you have a healthy economy, when. you have transparency, when you have. accountability, when the banking system.

operates under the same norms and. regulations of standard that are. acceptable in the world, which they. don't. There's so many factors that. would contribute to even a better. opportunity for those who are already. wealthy. Well, they can invest in their. own country. And we're not asking them. to stop, you know, progressing, but the difference is for. the masses. The difference is for areas. of the country that are totally. impoverished. >> Much of this will depend on sanctions. relief and the integration of Iranian.

economy. So, can you say clearly that. you would presumably would you give up. on Iran's nuclear program straight away. and. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. We don't need that. We simply don't need. >> very close to Israel. You're very. pro-Israel. You You backed Israel in the. bombing of Tehran last year, which was I. think quite controversial even amongst. your fellow countrymen. Tell me what. your relationship would be with Israel. I think if Iranians thought that this is. bad for Iran, you wouldn't see a single. Israeli flag flying next to an Iranian. flag in every demonstration we've seen.

outside of Iran. against Islamic regime. There are only. two countries on this planet that can. claim that they have a biblical. relationship with one another. It's Iran. and Israel. When Cyrus the Great. freed. the slaves in Babylon. to return to their homes and rebuild. their temple in Jerusalem. That's where it all started. And today. the children of Cyrus. know. that this time.

it is Israel that comes to the rescue. And we can have a very strong bond in. the 21st century, not 25 centuries ago, as the best possible strategic partners. to work together and. our Arab neighbors. to bring about stability and peace, which is the first element that the. whole world ought to want. And we work. together as brothers. We work together.

as committed to the same common interest. that we should all have and we do. Otherwise, the Abraham Accord had no leg. to stand on.