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Son of Ousted Shah Says Ready for Iran Transition 'Under My Leadership'

Smoke rises following an explosion during a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026.- Reuters
Smoke rises following an explosion during a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026.- Reuters
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Son of Ousted Shah Says Ready for Iran Transition 'Under My Leadership'

Smoke rises following an explosion during a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026.- Reuters
Smoke rises following an explosion during a protest marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026.- Reuters

The exiled son of Iran's last shah who was ousted by the 1979 revolution said on Saturday he was ready to lead a transition "as soon as the Islamic Republic falls".

In a message on his social media channels, US-based Reza Pahlavi said he had already been working to select individuals both inside and outside Iran to serve on what he called a "Transitional System".

Pahlavi leads one of several opposition movements based outside Iran but his prominence grew after January protests against the clerical system, with some demonstrators calling for a return of the monarchy, according to AFP.

Longstanding supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28 in US-Israeli airstrikes but after a fortnight of war the clerical system remains in place even if his successor, his son Mojtaba, has yet to make a public appearance.

Pahlavi said that Saeed Ghasseminejad, senior Iran and financial economics advisor at the US-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), which is staunchly critical of the Islamic republic, had been leading the process to select members of a transitional body.

"Capable individuals both inside and outside the country have been identified and evaluated to lead various sections of the Transitional System," he said

"The Transitional System, under my leadership, will be ready to assume governance of the country as soon as the Islamic Republic falls, and in the shortest possible time, establish order, security, freedom, and the conditions for Iran's prosperity and flourishing," he added.

In a boost to Pahlavi, vast pro-monarchy rallies took place in February in Munich and several cities in North America in the biggest yet such show of support.

But he has notably also failed to win recognition from US President Donald Trump, who has never officially met with Pahlavi and repeatedly expressed scepticism over his ability to lead Iran.

"They talk about the son of the shah, they talk about other people, but (he) hasn't been there in many years," Trump said this week.

Pahlavi was undergoing air force training in the US when his father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was ousted and never returned to the country.

Trump has repeatedly referred to Venezuela, where in January US forces captured president Nicolas Maduro, with Washington now working with his former deputy Delcy Rodriguez.

But it remains unclear how such a scenario could play out in Iran.

"I like the idea of internal because it works well, I think we have proven that so far in Venezuela," Trump said.

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World

Russia Evacuates 198 Workers from Iran Nuclear Plant Amid Airstrike

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev arrives to attend the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 01 April 2026. (EPA/Pavel Bednyakov/AP Pool)
Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev arrives to attend the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 01 April 2026. (EPA/Pavel Bednyakov/AP Pool)
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Russia Evacuates 198 Workers from Iran Nuclear Plant Amid Airstrike

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev arrives to attend the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 01 April 2026. (EPA/Pavel Bednyakov/AP Pool)
Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev arrives to attend the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 01 April 2026. (EPA/Pavel Bednyakov/AP Pool)

Russia started a planned evacuation of 198 workers from Iran's Bushehr atomic plant shortly after a US-Israeli projectile hit near the facility, Russian state media said on Saturday.

This was a third evacuation from the facility in southern Iran on the Gulf coast, which was built with Moscow's help, with about 100 Russian staff remaining there by now.

The area around Bushehr has been struck four times during this war. The latest attack on Saturday saw one person -- a guard at the facility -- killed, but did not damage the plant itself, according to Iranian state media.

"As planned, we began the main phase of the evacuation today," Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev was quoted as saying by Russia's TASS news agency.

"About 20 minutes after that ill-fated strike, buses set off from Bushehr station towards the Iranian-Armenian border (with) 198 people, to be precise -- this is the largest evacuation," he added.

Likhachev also said that Russia informed the US and Israel about the evacuation.

"The likelihood of a risk of damage or a potential nuclear incident is, unfortunately, only increasing, as has been confirmed by this morning's events," the Rosatom CEO said.

The agency plans to keep only a skeleton staff at Bushehr amid the threat of further strikes.

The Russian foreign ministry slammed the "evil" US-Israeli attack and urged a cessation of hostilities on Iranian nuclear facilities immediately.

World

Erdogan Says Middle East War Has Caused ‘Geostrategic Impasse’

This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on April 4, 2026, shows Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcoming and shaking hands Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) upon arrival for a bilateral meeting on security at Dolmabahce Presidential Office, in Istanbul. (Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on April 4, 2026, shows Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcoming and shaking hands Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) upon arrival for a bilateral meeting on security at Dolmabahce Presidential Office, in Istanbul. (Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
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Erdogan Says Middle East War Has Caused ‘Geostrategic Impasse’

This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on April 4, 2026, shows Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcoming and shaking hands Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) upon arrival for a bilateral meeting on security at Dolmabahce Presidential Office, in Istanbul. (Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Turkish presidential press service on April 4, 2026, shows Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcoming and shaking hands Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) upon arrival for a bilateral meeting on security at Dolmabahce Presidential Office, in Istanbul. (Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP)

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the war in the Middle East had led to a "geostrategic impasse", during a telephone conversation with NATO chief Mark Rutte, his office said Saturday.

"President Erdogan said the process started by the intervention against Iran had led to a geostrategic impasse and that the international community had to redouble its efforts to bring an end to this war," said the statement.

Türkiye has attempted to mediate an end to the hostilities, notably through negotiations conducted with Pakistan and Egypt.

Erdogan said his country was also continuing efforts "to reach a peaceful outcome" to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Istanbul Saturday for talks with Erdogan.

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the talks would not only be about drone interceptors but also about security cooperation in general.

The Turkish presidency said on X that the talks would focus "efforts towards a ceasefire and a lasting solution."

World

Several Injured in Israel by Iran Missile Fire

A picture shows the damage at a factory that got hit by a missile in Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, on April 3, 2026. (AFP)
A picture shows the damage at a factory that got hit by a missile in Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, on April 3, 2026. (AFP)
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Several Injured in Israel by Iran Missile Fire

A picture shows the damage at a factory that got hit by a missile in Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, on April 3, 2026. (AFP)
A picture shows the damage at a factory that got hit by a missile in Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, on April 3, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli emergency services said its crew treated five people who were injured Saturday in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas after Iran fired several rounds of missiles toward Israel.

Since midnight, seven waves of Iranian missiles have been launched towards Israel, according to the Israeli military.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services said a 45-year-old man was treated for minor injuries from glass shrapnel in the central city of Bnei Brak and taken to hospital.

As the day progressed, rescue teams said they had treated three additional casualties -- two men in their 20s hit by glass fragments and one injured by blast.

A 52-year-old man "lightly injured by the blast wave" was also transferred to a hospital in Ramat Gan, in central Israel, the emergency service said.

In a residential neighborhood of Ramat Gan, AFP images showed the top floor of a house completely blown out, exposing its gutted interior, with a crushed bookcase and an exercise bike amid the debris.

Numerous impact marks were visible on the walls.

Nearby, another home was largely destroyed, stripped of its outer walls, according to AFP photographs.

"All this is from shrapnel," Joy Frankel, a social worker told AFP near one of the impacted sites.

According to several local media outlets, including The Times of Israel, a cluster munition missile fired from Iran on Saturday morning landed near the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, not far from the defense ministry.

The military said its air defenses were working to down missiles fired from Iran, each a time it announced incoming projectiles.

Since February 28, the United States and Israel have conducted joint strikes against Iran, prompting the Tehran to retaliate with daily missile barrages targeting Israel and several neighboring countries across the region.