NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran escalates, many say that the airstrikes present a potential opportunity for significant political transformation.
Iranian Americans and Israeli government officials have been increasingly vocal in their calls for regime change, advocating for a shift toward a more democratic and transparent governance structure.
Exiled Iranian Crown Prince HRH Reza Pahlavi told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that it is only a “matter of time” before the Iranian regime is toppled and Iranians “have a tremendous opportunity.”
LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
“To rise and get rid of this regime, because we always believe that the ultimate solution to the problem is for this regime to no longer be there,” Pahlavi said speaking on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, on Friday, June 13, 2025. Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran. (Getty)
Beverly Hill, California, plastic surgeon Dr. Sheila Nazarian left Iran when she was 6 years old along with her family.
The decision to leave Iran was driven by the oppressive changes following the Iranian Revolution in 1979 concerning the treatment of women.
Nazarian told Fox News Digital her parents did not want her and her sister to grow up in such a restrictive society and believes all Iranians “want the fall of this regime.”
EXILED CROWN PRINCE SAYS IRANIAN PEOPLE HAVE ‘TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY’ TO TOPPLE WEAKENED REGIME
“Everyone is thankful to Israel for taking out these brutal Islamist theocrats who have been implicit in raping, torturing, jailing, murdering, and exiling Iranians for 45 years, so I think we’re all on the same page that this regime needs to go,” said Nazarian.
Protesters chant slogans during a protest over the death of a woman who was detained by the morality police, in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 21, 2022. (AP Photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday an Iranian regime change “could certainly be the result” of the escalating conflict, calling on citizens to seize “opportunity.”
“80% of the people will throw these theological thugs out. I mean, they murder them. They oppress them for 46 years. They yearn for freedom… they shoot women because their hair is uncovered, they shoot students,” said Netanyahu.
TOP ADVISOR TO IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES, STATE MEDIA SAYS
Dr. Sheila Nazarian and her family. (Dr. Sheila Nazarian)
Israel has marked significant blows to Tehran’s military leadership, eliminating a slew of key military figures and scientists while attacking Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
NETANYAHU CALLS ON IRANIAN CITIZENS TO SEIZE ‘OPPORTUNITY’ FOR REGIME CHANGE
Nazarian and Pahlavi have both stated that the regime is at its most vulnerable point, urging the Iranian military to take advantage of the situation.
Iranian police arrive to disperse a protest to mark 40 days since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose tragedy sparked Iran’s biggest anti-government movement in over a decade, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (AP)
“I do think that it’s going to take some sort of force of power, whether it’s the military. Presenting a coup or others in the region that are armed. For example, the Kurds in the mountainside, helping the populace overthrow this paper tiger regime,” said Nazarian.
She shared that Americans need to understand the regime does not have the same values as the U.S.
“They value martyrdom and death. If that isn’t a 180 difference in core value, I don’t know what is. They don’t want to be American. They chant death to America. Americans think it is the right way and the right path and so humane, they view it as actually stupidity,” said Nazarian.
EXPERTS WARN IRAN’S NUCLEAR DOUBLE-TALK DESIGNED TO BUY TIME, UNDERMINE US PRESSURE
Former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback said America must support regime change in Iran.
Iran rejected ceasefire negotiations, telling Qatari and Omani mediators that they will only pursue negotiations after they complete their response. (AP Photo/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader)
“Our government should provide maximum support—diplomatic, economic, and technological—to help Iranians overthrow their oppressors and establish a government that respects human rights and religious liberty,” said Brownback.
Nazarian expressed her gratitude to President Donald Trump’s recognition of the necessity for Israel to maintain a firm stance against the Iranian regime.
Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on stage at the 2025 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. (UN Watch)
“We appreciate that President Trump understands, unlike his predecessors, there is no negotiating with the Iranian regime,” said Nazarian.
MIKE POMPEO: ISRAEL’S STRIKES ON IRAN ARE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS BENEFITTING
She added, “The only language this regime understands is force and power. They see negotiations and diplomacy as weakness and a delay tactic to be able to do whatever it is they want to do, enrich their uranium, become a nuclear power.”
Dr. Sheila Nazarian expressed her gratitude to President Donald Trump’s recognition of the necessity for Israel to maintain a firm stance against the Iranian regime. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Nazarian says taking a diplomatic route “just delays tactics with this regime and every Iranian in the diaspora understands this.”
Early Monday morning local time, Iran rejected ceasefire negotiations, an official told Reuters.
The Iranians told Qatari and Omani mediators that Iran would only go to the negotiating table after they completed their response to the Israeli pre-emptive strikes.
TRUMP PROMISES TO RESPOND WITH ‘FULL STRENGTH AND MIGHT’ OF US MILITARY IF IRAN ATTACKS AMERICA
Nazarian says she spoke with President Trump during a rally in Philadelphia on the campaign trail advocating for Persian Jewish Americans.
“I told him the Persian Jews of Los Angeles love you, and they thank you. He looked me straight in the eye, and he said, ‘I’m going to be the best president the Jews have ever known,'” said Nazarian.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Nazarian said while growing up in Iran, despite her Jewish faith, her family never mentioned their Jewish identity due to the lack of freedom of religious expression and the fear of severe repercussions.