Washington, March 16 -- Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has issued a stirring call to his "compatriots" ahead of the ancient festival of Charshanbeh Suri, accusing the Iranian leadership of attempting to suppress the national ritual.

In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Pahlavi asserted that "the anti-Iranian regime of the Islamic Republic is once again attempting to prevent this ancient national ritual."

Charshanbeh Suri, a traditional Persian festival celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz (the Persian New Year), is known as the Festival of Fire. It involves rituals such as jumping over bonfires to symbolise purification and the warding off of misfortune.

He emphasised that this year, the o...