The son of the late shah has hailed Iran's mass protests as a landmark revolution by women and urged the world to add to the pressure on the clerical leadership. Reza Pahlavi, whose father was toppled in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, called for greater preparation for a future Iranian system that is secular and democratic. "It is truly in modern times, in my opinion, the first revolution for the women, by the women -- with the support of the Iranian men, sons, brothers and fathers," Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the Washington area, told AFP. "It has come to the point, as the Spaniards would say, basta -- we've had enough." Demonstrations have swarmed major cities, with dozens killed, since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died on September 16 in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police, allegedly for breaching the strict requirements that women wear headscarves in public. While also condemning discrimination against minorities and the LGBTQ community, Pahlavi said, "The symbolism of today's repression is represented by women." "I think most Iranian women, when they look at the freedoms that women in the free world experience and exercise, are asking for the very same rights...
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