Reza Pahlavi

Both TIME Magazine and the BBC reported hundreds of protesters killed in Iran, with several hospitals in Tehran entering crisis mode due to an overflow of wounded patients.

Referring to the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pahlavi said, “I am certain that he has seen these images from his hiding place and trembled in fear.”

Nikita Bier, Head of Product at X, responded to a user’s request to update the emoticon on Friday, with “Give me a few hours” before the update went into effect early on Saturday.

"Mr. President, this is an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support, and action," Pahlavi wrote on X, and asked him to "be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran."

Isfahani emphasized that the 2022 uprising, triggered by the killing of Mahsa Amini, had a lasting impact on the population. This time, however, the protests have become even more organized.

Foreign Ministry sends social media support in Farsi • Amnesty Int'l, HRW denounce regime's clampdown on protests • Pahlavi praises Trump's support, calls on European leaders to follow suit

Iran's opposition has remained fragmented among rival groups and ideological factions for decades, across repeated outbreaks of nationwide protests.

Separately, several Iranian Kurdish opposition parties issued a joint statement urging a general strike also on Thursday to support the protests.

The people of Iran are no longer whispering the name Pahlavi. They are shouting it.

Veksler said Pahlavi’s presence “creates hope that there will be regime change. … Wouldn’t it be something of a relief, not just for us, but for the Iranian people?”