Exiled prince calls for unity among Iran’s opposition
Exiled Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi called for unity and democratic engagement among opposition forces during a meeting in Munich on Sunday.
Exiled Iranian prince Reza Pahlavi called for unity and democratic engagement among opposition forces during a meeting in Munich on Sunday.
“Our goal today is solely to save Iran, and in the future, our mission is to enable free elections,” Pahlavi said, emphasizing pluralism and the rejection of divisive behavior.
“Escalation, radicalization, and reactionary leadership will not help this movement—in fact, they could even contribute to its polarization.”
His remarks followed the cancellation of his planned speech at the Munich Security Conference, a decision confirmed by conference organizers after consultations with the German government.
The German Foreign Ministry said it had communicated with the MSC but maintained that the decision was made independently.
A source told Iran International that Berlin feared Pahlavi’s presence could jeopardize German dual-national prisoners held in Iran.
The cancellation sparked protests outside the conference venue on Saturday. Demonstrators chanted slogans in support of Pahlavi and condemned the MSC’s decision.
Addressing his supporters, Pahlavi called for calm. “We must disavow divisive elements. Profanity, threats, and any form of undemocratic behavior have no place in this struggle,” he said.
“Chanting the slogan King Reza Pahlavi contradicts the idea of having the right to choose the type of government in the future."
Rubio said: "Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people that call this region home is Iran.
"And by Iran I mean the ayatollahs, by Iran I mean its regime, a regime who by the way, its people don’t support. The people of Iran are victims of that regime."
Netanyahu, who has long campaigned for harsher policies on Iran from global powers, warning of the threat the country's nuclear program poses to the region, welcomed the comments which echo his own years-long campaign against Tehran.
“Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran," he said. "We agree that the ayatollahs must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. We also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region has to be rolled back.”
Addressing the Gaza war against Iran-backed militants, Hamas, Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a significant blow to Tehran over the past 16 months, adding that with the support of Trump, "I have no doubt we can and will finish the job".
He also said Israel had weakened the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon and had hit hundreds of targets in Syria to prevent a new Iranian-backed front opening up against Israel.
"Now, if any other force believes that Israel will permit other hostile forces to use Syria as a base of operations against us, they are gravely mistaken," Netanyahu said.
