The West should not give a lifeline to the Iranian leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through talks when his rule is “closer every day” to ending, the son of Iran’s ousted shah has told AFP.

“This regime is collapsing … You can facilitate that by standing this time with them (the Iranian people), not throwing this regime another lifeline to survive,” Reza Pahlavi, formerly crown prince and now a key opposition figure, said in an interview.