PARIS: The son of Iran’s last shah Reza Pahlavi, who has positioned himself as an alternative if the Islamic republic falls, called for national unity from Iranian ethnic minorities as war engulfed the Middle East.
Iran’s population of more than 85 million is ethnically diverse, with large Azeri, Lur, Kurdish, Arab, Baloch and Turkmen minorities.
The Islamic republic has long been accused of discriminating against ethnic minorities, with many groups supporting successive waves of anti-government protests in the country and some – particularly the Kurds and Balochis – waging insurgencies seeking self-determination.
