The opportunity is right in front of us [for the Islamic Republic to fall].” Pahlavi also claimed that both his role and that of the opposition lies solely in achieving a referendum and quickly erecting a parliament afterwards, in order to debate all the areas in which opinions differ. He also stated that a secular government would be a “requisite for democracy”. Notably, he said that he does not intend to run for office himself. At the end of the talk, Pahlavi urged Oxford students to empower and act as ambassadors on behalf of the Iranian people, noting that many revolutions began at universities. His visit to Oxford is part of a broader tour of Europe that Pahlavi has been using as an opportunity to discuss Iran’s political climate with European officials and politicians.
