Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah, urged European governments not to appease Iran’s ruling authorities during a press conference in Berlin, warning that continued negotiations would only preserve the current power structure.
“If you think you can make peace with this regime, you are sorely mistaken,” he said. “There will never be stability, even if a watered-down version of this system survives.” Pahlavi told reporters Europe faces a choice “between a dying regime that endangers us all and a free Iran.” He described Iran’s leadership as “a wounded beast” and argued there are no genuine pragmatists or reformers among its leaders—only “different faces of a regime.”
Pahlavi said Iranian authorities had executed 19 political prisoners in the past two weeks and challenged the free world to act rather than “watch the slaughter in silence.” He has presented himself as a potential leader of a democratic transition if the current leadership is toppled.
Pahlavi is in Germany to build support for political change. He is scheduled to meet Armin Laschet, a lawmaker from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU and chair of the Bundestag’s foreign policy committee, along with foreign policy figures from other parties. There were no planned meetings with government ministers. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Pahlavi was visiting as a private individual and that it was not the federal government’s role to engage in such talks—an assertion Pahlavi called “a disgrace,” arguing democratic governments should “speak with the people who are the voice of the voiceless” and accusing Berlin of allowing itself to be blackmailed by Tehran.
Hundreds of supporters rallied in Berlin for regime change, while counter-demonstrations also took place. After leaving the press conference, Pahlavi was struck by a tomato thrown by a protester.
Laschet defended his meetings, saying he is “convinced” Pahlavi “can be a person who leads a transition.” He described Pahlavi as the most recognizable opposition figure and, for many Iranians, the current alternative to the clerical regime. “He … sees himself as a transitional figure, not as a permanent ruler, nor as a new Shah,” Laschet said, adding that if the regime truly fell, many could rally behind him.
Pahlavi said he believes he has popular backing and that “millions of people had shouted his name on the streets.” Yet tangible prospects for a change in Iran remain uncertain: Tehran has shown no sign of yielding amid weeks of regional tension, including US-Israeli strikes and a US naval blockade.
Pahlavi lives in exile in Maryland and is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. While monarchists support him, many opposition groups view him as controversial—some reject the idea of restoring a member of the former royal family to power. Critics question his democratic legitimacy and allege he is too close to Israel. It is also unclear how much support he actually has inside Iran.
Edited by: Rob Turner