Iran: Pahlavi says he has 'comprehensive plan for orderly transition, ready to be implemented immediately'
"Today I reaffirm my lifelong pledge by stepping in to lead the movement that will take back our country from the anti-Iranian hostile force that occupies it and kills its children"
Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi on Friday urged Western powers and the international community to ratchet up the pressure on the Islamic Republic to help protesters fighting to topple clerical rule.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington D.C. to urge political, economic and military pressure on Tehran, Pahlavi positioned himself as "uniquely positioned to ensure a stable transition" in Iran.
"Today, as my compatriots call on me for leadership, I reaffirm my lifelong pledge by stepping in to lead the movement that will take back our country from the anti-Iranian hostile force that occupies it and kills its children," he said.
He added that "large sections" of the Iranian military have "whispered" their loyalty to him.
"The Iranian people are taking decisive action on the ground. It is now time for the international community to join them fully," Pahlavi said.
U.S.-based Pahlavi has lived outside Iran since before his father was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.