Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi warned against threatening the Iranian armed forces with revenge and reprisals in the process of overthrowing the regime.

During an online meeting, Pahlavi said that the armed forces will act to ensure the survival of the regime if dissidents and activists employ vindictive rhetoric against them during the campaigns to topple the Islamic Republic.

“We are not seeking revenge. We want hatred and revenge to be replaced by coexistence and reconciliation. If the regime changes and our culture is still to take revenge, we have done nothing,” he stressed.

According to the exiled prince, if as little as 3.5% of the Iranian population can act in concert in an organized manner, it can lead to a regime change based on the principles of non-violent struggle.

“However, at the end of the day, it all comes down to whether the armed forces, who protect the regime, will stand in front of the people or not,” he went on to say.

Pahlavi further remarked that the most important thing at the moment is to save Iran from an inhuman regime for the sake of the future secular democracy in the country.

The armed forces have been at the front lines of the regime's oppression against the uprising. At least 500 civilians have been murdered by brutal crackdowns around Iran since the uprising of 2022 as the country's state security imposes harsh punishment for protesters and dissidents.