Two prominent Iranian dissidents, speaking from exile, have issued a stark message to America and Israel: The time for symbolic solidarity is over. What’s needed now is decisive action.
In remarks to Israeli media, Navid Mohebbi and Khosro Isfahani—members of the US-based opposition group NUFDI (National Union for Democracy in Iran) and close associates of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi—warned that the protest movement inside Iran remains alive but vulnerable. Without external support, they say, the movement risks being extinguished by a regime that continues to crush dissent with impunity.
“In Israel they called on Iranians to rise up,” noted Mohebbi, a former political prisoner who fled Iran in 2011, in remarks to Israel’s N12 news portal. “People did. There was a massacre. And then no one came. The disappointment is hard to describe.”
While global attention now centers on whether US President Donald Trump will authorize a strike against Iran’s military infrastructure, voices from within the Iranian opposition are urging Israel not to sit this one out.
“This regime is already activating proxies to attack Israel,” Mohebbi continued. “In the end, you will have to confront Iran’s ballistic arsenal anyway—so why not now?”
🔹Spoke with @N12News, Israel’s largest news organization, on the Iran protests and the growing calls for international action:
1️⃣ Now is the right time for Israel to join the United States and strike the regime. In the end, Israel will have to confront Iran’s ballistic missile…
— Navid Mohebbi نوید محبی (@navidmohebbi) January 25, 2026
“The uprising is still breathing”
Khosro Isfahani, a human rights advocate who fled Iran after facing threats to his life, rejects the notion that the protest movement has faded.
“The protests have not disappeared—they’ve adapted,” he said. “This is still a war, and tactics change. The uprising is still breathing.”
Despite fatigue, fear, and growing cynicism about international promises, Isfahani insists the window of opportunity remains open. “We are still hoping,” he said. “The people are ready to accept help—from anyone, from anywhere.”
NEW: President Trump sends a message of support to ‘Iranian Patriots’ protesting against the regime, vowing that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” pic.twitter.com/xbW5oLjvzN
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 13, 2026
Both men highlight a bitter irony: while Iran’s regime sends weapons and militias to attack Israel, Jerusalem has hesitated to support efforts to topple the regime from within. According to Mohebbi, that double standard only strengthens the regime’s internal narrative: “They tell Iranians you cannot trust the West. Unfortunately, it’s starting to sound believable.”
Crown Prince Pahlavi: A leader emerging from exile
At the center of their vision for a post-regime Iran stands Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose name has been chanted in protests across the country despite brutal crackdowns.
“Never before has an opposition figure been openly praised by the people like this,” said Isfahani. “People are shouting his name while being fired on. That means something.”
Pahlavi’s circle—including Mohebbi, who helped draft his foreign policy vision—see a secular, democratic Iran aligned with the West and openly pursuing strategic ties with Israel.
“I want Israelis to know: the Iranian regime and the Iranian people are not the same,” Mohebbi emphasized. “We want a relationship with Israel.”
🇮🇷 REZA PAHLAVI JUST REMINDED THE WORLD WHO IRAN REALLY IS
“I went to Israel to show that we are the descendants of Cyrus the Great.”
That single sentence exposes everything the Islamic regime has tried to erase.
Before the ayatollahs…
Before terror slogans…
Before hatred… pic.twitter.com/K74Zec1MdS— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) January 17, 2026
“It’s not if, it’s when”
Even amid delays and disappointments, both men remain convinced that regime change is coming—and that the question now is how much blood will be shed before the world intervenes.
“This is going to succeed,” Isfahani said. “It’s not if, it’s when. And we hope that help comes before more of our people are killed.”
The message from Iran’s opposition is as urgent as it is clear: There is still time to act. But time is not unlimited.
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