Washington  - Iran's one-time crown prince Reza Pahlavi said Friday that week-long protests in his country were supported by much of the military and clerical establishment and could end up bringing down the entire Islamic government.

Pahlavi, who has sought an end to the Islamic regime since his father was deposed in the 1979 revolution, said he had sources within the military and intelligence indicated they were ready to switch sides.

"It's almost a revolutionary climate," an at-times emotional Pahlavi said in Washington. Pahlavi was exiled from Iran and now lives in the United States.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in Iran to protest what they believe was a fraudulent June 12 election claimed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi has called for a rerun of the election and vowed to continue the protests.(dpa)