Pressure is mounting on Iran’s supreme leader, two prominent Iranian opposition leaders have declared that Khamenei must step down following the devastating US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah, and Maryam Rajavi, leader of the banned MEK group, both issued statements on Sunday calling for an end to Khamenei’s rule.
“The only sure way to achieve peace is for this regime to now end,” Pahlavi said. Rajavi added that Khamenei’s “unpatriotic project has all gone up in smoke.” The demand is clear: Khamenei must step down before more lives are lost.
Khamenei Must Step Down, Opposition Leaders Say Loudly
The whereabouts of Ayatollah Khamenei remain unknown. Some reports say he is hiding deep underground, communicating only with top aides. Israel has refused to rule out killing him. That silence has only fueled the opposition’s call that Khamenei must step down immediately.
Maryam Rajavi said, “No to appeasement, no to war, and yes to regime change.” She urged Iranians to reject both foreign invasion and dictatorship. Pahlavi echoed the sentiment, saying, “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.”
Khamenei Must Step Down: Nobel Laureate Joins the Call
Adding more weight to the opposition, 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who is currently on medical leave from an Iranian prison, described the government as “religious, authoritarian, and misogynistic.” She didn’t just criticize the regime, she also rejected the war.
In her words: “I firmly believe that democracy and peace will not emerge from the dark and terrifying corridors of war and violence.” She pleaded for an immediate ceasefire but still pointed fingers at the root of the crisis: the regime’s brutality.
Khamenei Must Step Down: Iran Faces a Crossroads
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes “devastated” Iran’s nuclear program, though he claimed Washington does not intend to topple Iran’s leadership. But on the streets and in exile, Iranians are saying the opposite.
From underground bunkers to burning cities, from royal exiles to human rights icons, the message is the same: this regime has failed. The war, the sanctions, the bloodshed—they all lead to one unavoidable conclusion. Khamenei must step down.
