The son of Iran’s former shah in exile appealed to US President Donald Trump on Saturday to assist the Iranian people, following Trump’s recent statement that a change in leadership would be beneficial. Reza Pahlavi, now based in the US and who has not returned to Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, expressed the need to dismantle the Islamic republic while addressing journalists at the Munich Security Conference.
Meanwhile, outside the conference venue, approximately 200,000 supporters gathered, urging world leaders to increase pressure on the Iranian government in response to the violent crackdown on nationwide protests in January. The crowd, waving green-white-and-red flags featuring a lion and a sun, emblematic of the overthrown monarchy, chanted “Javid shah” (long live the shah).
A 62-year-old protester, originally from Iran and identified only as Said, declared, “The Iranian regime is a dead regime. It must be game over.” Pahlavi encouraged Iranians worldwide to persist in protesting against the regime, urging them to vocalize slogans from their homes and rooftops at 8:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, aligning with demonstrations in Germany and other locations.
Trump’s comments on Friday emphasized that a change in government in Iran would be advantageous, coinciding with the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to escalate pressure on Tehran. He had previously hinted at possible military involvement to support the surge of protests in Iran earlier this year.
Addressing reporters in Munich, Pahlavi implored Trump to follow through on his commitment to aid the Iranian people, stressing the need to dismantle the Islamic republic. He stated, “This is the demand resonating from the sacrifices of my fellow citizens, who are not seeking a fix for the regime but assistance in burying it.”