Grapevine, Texas — In a passionate nearly 30-minute speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on March 28, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Crown Prince of Iran and son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, declared that the end of the Islamic Republic regime is within reach and pledged to restore Iran to its historic greatness in partnership with the United States.
Speaking to a receptive audience that included many Iranian-Americans, Pahlavi opened by honoring the Iranians who have sacrificed their lives in opposition to the regime. He recalled protesters telling him they fight not only for their own freedom but for global peace and security.Pahlavi painted a hopeful vision of a post-regime “Free Iran” — one without nuclear threats, state-sponsored terrorism, hostage-taking, or disruptions to global energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he said a liberated Iran would export engineers and innovators rather than extremists, foster startups instead of supporting suicide bombers, and supply energy to the world rather than hatred.“
A free Iran represents the single largest untapped economic opportunity of the 21st century,” he stated, pointing to the country’s population of 93 million highly educated, entrepreneurial people who are largely pro-Western.The Crown Prince highlighted longstanding goodwill between Iranians and Americans, noting that after the September 11 attacks, ordinary Iranians in Tehran held candlelight vigils in solidarity while the regime celebrated. He sharply contrasted this with what he called the “depraved” current regime, which he accused of worshipping death and destruction.Pahlavi called for extending the Abraham Accords into a new “Cyrus Accord,” named after the ancient Persian king Cyrus the Great, whose human rights charter he said inspired figures like Thomas Jefferson.
A free Iran, he argued, would become a reliable friend to Israel and a stabilizing force in the Middle East, enabling the U.S. to reduce its military footprint and end prolonged conflicts in the region.He referenced recent dramatic events, including widespread protests that swept all 31 Iranian provinces earlier in 2026, during which the regime imposed a near-total internet blackout. Pahlavi thanked U.S. and Israeli military operations — including strikes that he said eliminated key regime figures such as “Khomeini Junior,” destroyed the majority of Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, and crippled nuclear facilities — for creating a genuine window of opportunity for Iranians to finally topple the regime after 47 years in power.
Positioning himself as a unifying figure for the opposition, Pahlavi said he has answered the call of millions of Iranians to help lead a democratic transition. He described building a broad coalition that includes dissidents, monarchists, republicans, and even former adversaries, along with a “digital defection platform” that has reportedly drawn thousands of regime military officers signaling their willingness to switch sides.He outlined plans for an orderly handover through the “Iran Prosperity Project,” explicitly rejecting past mistakes like the de-Baathification policies in Iraq after 2003. Pahlavi urged the United States to maintain pressure and avoid any negotiated lifeline to the regime, famously stating, “You cannot reform a snake — the venom is in its DNA,” in reference to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The speech reached an emotional crescendo as Pahlavi drew a direct parallel to the American conservative movement: “President Trump is making America great again. I intend to make Iran great again. So together with my brave compatriots, that is exactly what we will do.” He closed with the words “God bless America,” prompting a standing ovation from the crowd.Pahlavi, who has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew his father, has long advocated for a secular, democratic Iran.
His appearance at CPAC marks a notable alignment with conservative audiences in the U.S. amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iranian targets under operations such as Epic Fury.The remarks have ignited strong reactions both inside and outside Iran, with supporters chanting variations of “Javid Shah” (Long Live the Shah) and “MIGA” (Make Iran Great Again), while detractors question his relevance or accuse him of relying on foreign intervention.As developments in Iran continue to unfold rapidly, Pahlavi’s address underscores the growing calls from exile opposition figures for decisive regime change and a new chapter for the country.
