Empress Farah Pahlavi: I hope the victory of light over darkness ends Iran's decline

In a new message, Empress Farah Pahlavi thanked the Iranians who had sent her good wishes on the occasion of her 88th birthday and expressed her hope that the years of Iran's decline are nearing their end.

The Empress wrote in the message: "My hope is that the final victory of light over darkness will herald the near end of Iran's long years of decline and its return to an era of reconstruction, progress and pride."

She also described the kindness and warmth of her compatriots as a reminder of affection, friendship and solidarity in Iranian culture, a culture which, in her words, does not forget those who serve it.

The Empress's birthday and her compatriots' messages

Empress Farah Pahlavi's birthday on 14 October this year was marked by a great many messages from Iranians inside and outside the country. Prince Reza Pahlavi, in his message on his mother's birthday, had said she has never lost her faith in the victory of light, and the Prince's media office also called her "the Mother of Iran".

At the same time, a number of compatriots inside Iran congratulated the Empress on her birthday with messages from inside the country and spoke of their hope for the return of the Pahlavi family to the homeland; messages that, in the security atmosphere and repression of the Islamic Republic, carry the risk of arrest for those who send them.

The Empress's new message comes at a time when the Islamic Republic faces war, economic collapse and a wave of executions, and supporters of Iran's national revolution inside and outside the country, carrying the Lion and Sun flag, back Prince Reza Pahlavi. In more than four decades away from the homeland, Empress Farah Pahlavi has always spoken of her bond with the Iranian people and her hope for a free future.

Empress Farah Pahlavi called the victory of light over darkness the herald of the end of Iran's years of decline and its return to an era of reconstruction.