Democratic senator backs Iran protesters, questions Trump threats

Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi told The Wall Street Journal there is no need for a US military intervention to put an end to Iran's theocracy, as the ongoing protests in the country mark a “golden opportunity” for a regime change.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of any kind of outside intervention, either a military or a special ops kind, because I think the regime is collapsing. The regime is at its weakest. Iranians are on the streets protesting not just the economic misery but calling for an end to this regime."​

“What’s clearly different is that there’s an opportunity this time to get the job done and get rid of this regime. I think, in a way, the planets are aligned. The conditions are right on many levels for the regime to collapse,” he added.​

Asked about the role he might see for himself in any future executive branch, he said his purpose is to help heal the country.

“I think my role is much deeper and more valuable than to be cornered into one specific executive role. You know, it will take some time for the nation—really hurt, depressed, demoralized, cheated, lied to—to come back to normalcy,” Pahlavi said.

Gunther Fehlinger, chairman of the Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement, called for a “Free Iran” and said “we need regime change now” in a post on X on Monday.​

“I want Iran to be free, and Iranians want that as well. The regime of Khamenei must fall. He is a tyrant, and I call on America to intervene to liberate the Iranians,” Fehlinger said in a video post.

“Khamenei must go now, and I will do my maximum here on this podcast to endorse exactly that: the end of this terror regime. They are a key part of the axis of evil,” he added.

"The world started wondering whether America really was strong, whether America really could lead. Well, that's over now. Just ask the Houthis and our ships that now sail freely," Hegseth said in a speech in Newport News, Virginia.

"That's peace through strength, same with Midnight Hammer, where our B-2s flew 37 hours down and back and were never seen by the Iranians, and dropped 14 precision munitions exactly where they were supposed to drop, obliterating Iran's nuclear capabilities, not to mention the tomahawks that came off of a beautiful submarine and delivered that decisive blow as well on one of the nuclear facilities," he added.

Hegseth was referring to the US title for its surprise attacks on June 22 which hit three key Iranian nuclear facilities.

"Deterrence is back," he said.

German Green MEP Hannah Neumann said on Monday that eight days of nationwide protests and student strikes across more than 78 cities show Iranians have reached a “breaking point.”​

“For eight days, people in Iran are protesting because daily life has become impossible. Protests and student strikes have continued across more than 78 cities. Despite intimidation, violence and death, people keep showing up. It’s not about a moment, it’s about a breaking point,” Neumann posted on X.

Neumann, who chairs the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iran, also addressed the violence in the streets against protesters.

“There are growing reports of live ammunition, pellet guns, mass arrests and targeted internet disruptions, cutting people off from each other and from the world. This is a regime afraid of its own people, turning fear into violence,” she said.​

“At its core, it’s simple: Iranians are asking for dignity, for safety, for the right to speak without being shot. Europe has a responsibility to stand clearly with people who are asking for rights that should never require courage, and to insist on accountability when those rights are denied,” Neumann said.

Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on Monday that the Iranian people have endured decades under a “corrupt and extremist” system and praised their courage as “powerful,” voicing support for the latest protest wave in a post on X.

“The Iranian people have suffered tremendously under a corrupt and extremist regime for nearly fifty years. Their voices and their courage are powerful.”