Crown prince calls on Trump to reject any compromise with Tehran’s leadership, as conflict intensifies and visions of a post-war Iran take center stage
GRAPEVINE, Texas — A packed crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) responded with loud approval as Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urged President Donald Trump to reject leaving any faction of the Islamic regime in power.
Speaking on March 28, Pahlavi praised Trump as the only U.S. president in nearly 50 years with the courage and character to give Iranians a chance at freedom.
Iranians seek a complete break from the ruling clerics, he said, calling on the United States to stay the course rather than allow the regime to retain control.
“We prefer to die standing than to live kneeling,” he said.
Pahlavi warned that preserving any part of the current regime would enable it to rebuild and resume hostilities against the United States.
“The Islamic Republic cannot reform itself,” he said. “You cannot reform a snake. Venom is in its DNA.”
He added that regime change could usher in a new era of “peace and prosperity” involving the United States, Iran, Israel, and Arab nations in the region.
Pahlavi said millions of Iranians have called on him to lead a transition to democracy following the war. “I have accepted that call,” he said.
“President Trump is making America great again. I intend to make Iran great again,” he added.
However, Trump has expressed skepticism about Pahlavi leading a post-war Iran. While describing him as a “very nice person,” the president said it would be “more appropriate” for a moderate figure within Iran to guide the country forward.
Pahlavi said 2026 would mark the rebirth of a 2,500-year-old civilization tracing back to the ancient Persian Empire.
The son of Iran’s last shah, exiled since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Pahlavi said there are factions within Iran willing to work with him, which could help prevent a power vacuum and chaos during a transition.
As the crowd chanted his name and “USA,” Pahlavi urged attendees to envision a free and stable Middle East rather than one defined by terrorism and conflict.
“Can you imagine Iran going from ‘Death to America’ to ‘God bless America?’” he asked. “A free Iran is within reach right now.”
He said that once the bombing ends, he will call on Iranians to rise up, as they did in January.
According to Pahlavi, more than 40,000 Iranians were killed by the regime during protests earlier this year. He described scenes in which families searched unmarked body bags for loved ones and were forced to pay for the bullets used to kill them.
He also alleged that survivors seeking medical treatment were hunted down and killed, and that medical workers were raped and killed for assisting victims.
“There’s a sea of blood between the people and the regime,” he said. “They will never agree to swap one tyrant for another.”
Pahlavi’s remarks come as the conflict with Iran enters its second month. On Saturday, 3,500 U.S. Marines aboard the USS Tripoli arrived in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.
On March 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States could achieve its objectives “without any ground troops,” while also noting that American forces are prepared for multiple scenarios to provide the president with maximum flexibility and respond to evolving conditions.
