Washington DC [US], March 9 (ANI): Following the appointment of a new Supreme Leader for Iran by the country's Assembly of Experts, exiled crown prince of the country Reza Pahlavi on Monday called on the Islamic Republic's military to lay down arms and join the Iranian people against the current regime, saying those who stand with the people now will have a place in a 'free Iran'.

In a post on X, Pahlavi said the Iranian people broadly support efforts by the United States and Israel to weaken the Islamic Republic's security apparatus, while accusing the leadership of using civilians as 'human shields.'

'The American and Israeli resolve to decimate the Revolutionary Guards and dismantle the Islamic Republic's infrastructure of terror has the broad support of the Iranian people,' the exiled crown prince stated in his post.

'The current regime's despicable use of Iranians as human shields is a crime against humanity. The safety of civilians and the protection of Iran's vital, national infrastructure must remain a priority,' he added.

Addressing Iran's armed forces directly, the exiled crown prince urged soldiers and officers to side with the public rather than the ruling establishment.

'To Iran's own military: lay down your arms and join the people. If you do, there will be a place for you in a free Iran,' Pahlavi added.

The statement comes after Iran's Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic on Sunday announced the appointment of the late leader's son, 56-year-old cleric Mojtaba Khamenei, to the position.

Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, who is said to be more hardline than his father, was announced as the third Supreme Leader of Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

The announcement, following a decision by the country's Assembly of Experts after days of deliberation marking a pivotal moment in the political and religious leadership of the Islamic Republic.

The clerical body responsible for appointing the country's supreme leader confirmed the decision in a formal statement, declaring, 'By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts elected Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.'

Born in 1969 in the city of Mashhad, Mojtaba Khamenei is the second son of the late Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who served as Iran's supreme leader for nearly four decades.

The development comes amid escalated tensions in West Asia, following the killing of 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28. The strikes also killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic. (ANI)