In an open letter addressing Ayatollah Khamenei, Prince Reza Pahlavi referred to his recent comments as cowardly words that do not need an analytic and point by point response.

The prince wrote: “Know that People who chant “Pahlavi” in the cities of Iran, from workers to farmers and old or young, are not doing it out of bigotry, but for the prosperity of Iranians and the dignity of the homeland’s name.”

The letter, titled simply “To Ali Khamenei,” continues: “Your recent words in response to the cries for justice from a nation who has had enough of your crimes, are too cowardly to be analyzed and responded to point by point. Your nonsense is trembling, and the foundations of your house are too weak.”

He continued: “Know that the evil poverty that has spread across Iran is strictly and absolutely caused by you and your ominous kind.”

In his first reaction to the protests in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, mentioned the Pahlavi family as one of the conspirators behind the protests. Other Islamic Republic officials have repeated his claims in recent days and the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that "Out of the three factions that play a role in these protests, the first faction is tied to the royalists supporting the Pahlavi family who seek revenge.”