The West's 'appeasement' of Iran has failed and a new Reagan-Thatcher type leadership is needed to confront the regime, exiled crown prince claims

Iran's exiled crown prince has claimed that the West's 'appeasement' policy has failed and a new Reagan-Thatcher type leadership is required.

Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the late Shah of Iran, is a prominent critic of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Islamic regime.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said there has been a 'weak approach' by leaders in the West on 'both sides of the Atlantic' towards the Islamic Republic.

He told the newspaper there should be a reset of Europe's relationship with Tehran - calling for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be labelled a terrorist organisation.

The 63-year-old also slammed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for not doing enough to protect Iranian journalists based in London. 

Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, pictured at The Oxford Union in 2023

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured in Tehran in 2022

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with US President Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004) on the steps of 10 Downing Street, after the official start of the G7  Economic Summit in London, 1984

The prince referred to the stabbing of the Iran International television host Pouria Zeraati last month in Wimbledon.

Zeraati has been repeatedly targeted by Tehran as the media organisation is openly critical of the government's regime.

Counter terror police are investigating an attack on the prominent Iranian dissident journalist who said he was targeted by a two-man team who escaped in a waiting car.

It is believed either agents working directly for the Iranian government or a criminal gang hired by Tehran targeted Zeraati, who hosts a high-profile TV show in London. 

Speaking to The Telegraph, the prince asked what the benefit is of not being 'willing to respond in some form'.

He went as far as to say that the 'root cause' of Iran's influence across the Middle East was the West's police of 'appeasement'.

The prince referred to the stabbing of the Iran International television host Pouria Zeraati (pictured right) last month in Wimbledon.

The journalist was rushed to hospital, and shared a defiant Instagram post from his bed

This week, Rishi Sunak called for 'calm heads' after Israel launched strikes on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile blitz.

The PM insisted that Israel 'absolutely has the right to self defence' as he stressed the facts of the overnight action are still being established.

But he said the priority must be to defuse tensions in the region, with fears the Middle East could be plunged into a much wider conflict.

However, the exiled prince claimed that stronger leadership is needed, similar to that of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher at the end of the Cold War. He added that this partnership 'changed the world in a very significant way'.

The prince left Iran in 1977 when he was 17-years-old to receive air force training in the  United States.

Two years later his father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was deposed during the Islamic Revolution. 

The Royal Family has since been in exile, but following his father's death in 1980, the prince declared himself the new shah of Iran in exile. 

Although he was never formally appointed, he is an important figurehead for opposition figures and Iranians in exile. 

Rishi Sunak called for 'calm heads' after Israel launched strikes on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile blitz

The Biden administration had stressed the need for de-escalation from Israel following Iran's barrage of strikes

Becoming frustrated when asked by The Telegraph about ongoing diplomatic attempts with Tehran, he said:  'This is basically kicking the can down the road. Diplomacy has failed. Appeasement has failed. Any continuation of the same, frankly, is insanity.'

He added that US President Biden's failure to enforce sanctions has led to Tehran's revenue inflating. 

President Joe Biden's administration previously announced new sanctions on Iran that target unarmed aerial vehicle production after its missile and drone strike on Israel last weekend.

'Let it be clear to all those who enable or support Iran's attacks: The United States is committed to Israel's security. We are committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region. And we will not hesitate to take all necessary action to hold you accountable,' Biden said in a statement.

His announcement came after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country reserved the right to protect and would decide the best way how to do so. Biden has made clear the U.S. does not support an Israeli attack on Iran.

Despite living in exile, the prince went on to say he feels optimistic that the end is approaching for Tehran's rulers.

He said the recent repression of peaceful protests which were sparked by the death two years ago of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained for not wearing her hijab properly, is a sign of 'weakness and insecurity'.

Mahsa Amini died in custody after detention by morals police for her appearance. She was on a visit to the Iranian capital with her family

Amini went into a coma after being arrested in Tehran and died while she was in Kasra hospital

Ms Amini, 22, went into a coma after being arrested in Tehran and died while she was in police custody in hospital.

Other women showed their anger at the news on social media by posting other examples of heavy-handed action by morality police against women without hijabs. 

The Islamic Republic's officials told local media that Amini suffered a heart attack while detained by morality police, denying reports that she had been beaten.

'They killed my angel,' her mother told the BBC Persian service. She said her daughter was healthy and without any problems.

Exiled prince Pahlavi said that Iran's Gen Z offer hope for change in the future because they are 'not cut off from the world' and are on Instagram and X. 

He told The Telegraph: 'They say: why shouldn't I have the same opportunities that some young girl or boy has today in Doha or in Abu Dhabi or in Dubai?'

'And they talk about this, they voice their ideas, the fact of how united they are as a nation.'

He said that is was 'gives me hope, what gives me energy'.