Iran’s exiled queen Farah Pahlavi says if the “ominous” 1979 Islamic Revolution had not taken place in Iran, the country would now be among the pioneering nations of the world. 

In a message on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of her husband’s, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's death on Wednesday, the queen said the Iranian nation remembers the Pahlavi era while they are “under blood and fire,” of the clerical regime.

“Today, Iran has stood up and despite [government] killings in streets, repression, prisons, torture and executions, Iranian freedom fighters, Iran's unique women, alongside men, do not stop from expressing their outrage with the regime's leaders to the world,” she said. 

If the 1979 revolution did not happen, which was caused by the forces of ignorance and the interference of several foreign countries, that misled some of compatriots, today Iran would have been among the world’s advanced countries, instead of being isolated in the international arena and under back-breaking sanctions, Pahlavi added. 

Marking the death anniversary of his father, exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi also posted a video message on his Twitter account saying that "Although on that day, they did not see or hear your [the Shah’s] concerns and warnings; today's youth see and have taken the path you showed them."

In June, Reza Pahlavi addressed the nation over the recent waves of protests in the country, calling for a coordinated front to organize anti-government activities.

During protests in recent years people often chant slogans praising the Pahlavi monarchs.

The Prince added that today the biggest opposition and alternative to Islamic Republic is the Iranian people, who deserve to live in the best country possible and will reach their goal.