The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, Reza Pahlavi, earned thunderous applause from a packed conference hall of US conservatives on Saturday as he urged Washington to press its military campaign against Tehran.
Speaking to a raucous audience in Texas and quoted by AFP, Pahlavi cast the war as a historic opportunity to topple Iran’s clerical leadership, drawing cheers with a vision of his country transformed from an adversary of the United States into an ally.
“Can you imagine Iran going from ‘death to America’ to ‘God Bless America’?" he asked the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in the Dallas suburbs, prompting one of several standing ovations.
Pahlavi, 65, has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled the US-backed monarchy and ushered in the current system of clerical rule.
He has long positioned himself as a unifying figure for Iran’s fragmented opposition, and told supporters on Saturday he was ready to lead a democratic transition.
“President Trump is making America great again. I intend to make Iran great again," he said, drawing prolonged applause.
Pahlavi urged the United States to “stay the course" in the war against Iran and “pave the way for the Iranian people to finish the job," arguing that only the complete collapse of the Islamic Republic could bring lasting stability.
“This regime in its entirety must go," he said, adding, “Iran’s story is not yet finished. Great civilizations outlast even the most vicious occupiers."
Trump recently stopped short of fully endorsing Pahlavi as a potential future leader.
“He seems very nice, but I don't know how he'd play within his own country," Trump said, adding, “And we really aren't up to that point yet. I don't know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me."