Iran opposition leaders say Khamenei must step down

Published
0

The leaders of two prominent Iranian opposition factions have urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down and spare more bloodshed, in the wake of unprecedented American attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, AFP reports.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution, and Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the outlawed People’s Mujahedin (MEK), which is outlawed in Iran, said in separate statements that Khamenei must quit after over a week of fighting between Iran and Israel.

“Now Khamenei must go,” said Rajavi, saying that Khamenei’s “unpatriotic project” had now “all gone up in smoke”. “No to appeasement, no to war and yes to regime change — changing the religious dictatorship by the Iranian people and the Iranian resistance,” she said.

Pahlavi, who is the figurehead for supporters of the ousted Iranian monarchy, said, “The only sure way to achieve peace is for this regime to now end”.

“As Khamenei considers how to respond from his underground bunker, I say to him: For the sake of the Iranian people, respond by stepping down,” he said.

A combination photo of Iranian opposition figures Reza Pahlavi and Maryam Rajavi. — Reuters/Faebook/Maryam Rajavi
A combination photo of Iranian opposition figures Reza Pahlavi and Maryam Rajavi. — Reuters/Faebook/Maryam Rajavi

Opinion

Editorial

Urban flooding
Updated 02 Aug, 2026

Urban flooding

THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban...
Fatal workplaces
02 Aug, 2026

Fatal workplaces

THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of...
Dual standards
02 Aug, 2026

Dual standards

IT appears that the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has fallen foul of the Election Commission of Pakistan. A...
Maritime alliance
Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
Local governance
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
Murders in Balochistan
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...