Exiled Iranian Prince Calls For Democracy

In a visit to the Intercultural Center Auditorium on Wednesday night, the former crown prince of Iran stressed the importance of establishing a secular democracy in his country and fostering the existing pro-Western sentiment of segments of the population.

Reza Pahlavi II, son of deposed Iranian leader Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was the crown prince of Iran prior to the revolution of 1979, when the monarchy was overthrown by the Islamic Republic. One issue readily addressed in Pahlavi’s speech was the presence of violence and instability in the country.

“Iran’s current regime is characterized by lack of transparency, support of terrorism, suppression of citizenry and is therefore not to be trusted,” he said. “There is a pattern of escalating violence, instability, uncertainty and conflict. The people of Iran are enduring the consequences of an inept, corrupt and oppressive government.”

In addition, he said that the United States’ National Intelligence Estimates indicated that Iran’s leadership was involved in nuclear weapon development from the very beginning.

“The NIE confirms that the leadership had concealed plans about nuclear weapons and misled the world. Through the NIE, the nuclear threat was firmly placed into context,” he said.

He also said that he fully supports the creation of a democratic government in Iran and that this change must begin from within Iran’s borders.

“What Iran needs is an empowerment of democracy from within, foreign pressures need to be translated into domestic pressures,” he said. “New leadership, with vision, organization, determination and strong will. Restoration is a welcome possibility, but the establishment of secular democracy is the priority.”

Pahlavi said that Iranians remain aligned with Americans despite the attitude of its current leaders.

“The people themselves are entirely sympathetic towards Western culture,” he said.

He characterized freedom of speech in his country by quoting what he said is a popularly used expression: “There is freedom of speech in Iran; there is no freedom after speech,” he said. Years and years of oppression are responsible for these restrictions, he added.

Pahlavi also spoke about Iran’s approach to human rights, a focus of his work and research over the past decades, and the importance of incorporating the citizenry’s voice in their promotion.

“Domestic pressures are to be promoted through active dialogue, and we need to ask the people themselves,” he said.

George Birman (SFS ’10), communications director for the International Relations Club, which co-sponsored the event, said Pahlavi’s speech offered students the opportunity to further engage themselves in the future of Iran.

“Mr. Pahlavi’s comments provided the campus with a valuable perspective, which we hope may be combined with others to foster further dialogue on the topic of Iran,” he said.

The event was sponsored by the Iranian Cultural Society, the International Relations Club, and the Delta Phi Epsilon Foreign Service Fraternity.