Exiled former Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi has criticised the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling him a “deceased dictator” and claiming the ceremony does not reflect the sentiments of the Iranian people.

According to Al Jazeera, Pahlavi addressed foreign dignitaries who travelled to Tehran for the funeral, saying that Iranians are mourning those killed during the regime’s crackdown on anti-government protests rather than Khamenei.

In a post on X, Pahlavi alleged that more than 40,000 people were killed by Iran’s leadership and its security apparatus during protests on January 8 and 9, referring to demonstrations over economic grievances.

He also accused the Iranian government of spending large sums of public money to stage what he described as a propaganda event, while noting that no democratic leaders attended the funeral.

Pahlavi further claimed that the Iranian public is not grieving the late supreme leader but is instead filled with anger against the ruling establishment, expressing confidence that opposition to the regime will continue to grow.