Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s ousted shah, said Thursday that any negotiations with Iran’s clerical leadership amount to “appeasement" and expressed hope that renewed street protests will bring down the regime, AFP reported.
Pahlavi, 65, made the remarks during a visit to Berlin, where he was greeted by supporters but also faced opposition. During the event, one activist threw a red liquid on him before being detained by police.
German police estimated that around 10,000 supporters attended a rally in Berlin, where Pahlavi later joined the crowd.
Speaking earlier to journalists, Pahlavi urged European governments that have avoided involvement in the US-Israeli war against Iran to take additional steps, including expelling Iranian ambassadors and helping Iranian citizens bypass an internet blockade.
“The whole narrative of ceasefire and negotiation is still based on thinking that ... you're going to deal with people who all of a sudden have become pragmatists," he said during visits to Germany following stops in Sweden and Italy, as quoted by AFP.
“I don't see that happening," he added, referring to Iran’s leadership after the elimination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, which he called “different faces of the same machine".
Pahlavi accused Iran’s rulers of having “slaughtered innocent citizens by the thousands" and warned they threaten Europe with long-range missiles. “No deal will solve this. No negotiations will solve this. It is in their DNA."
Pahlavi, 65, has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled his father and ushered in the current system of clerical rule.
He has long positioned himself as a unifying figure for Iran’s fragmented opposition.
However, he is one of several figures in the Iranian diaspora who are often divided and have not achieved unified backing. He has also not secured recognition from US President Donald Trump, who has never met him officially and has expressed skepticism about his ability to lead Iran.
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."
German officials said Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government did not plan to meet Pahlavi, though several lawmakers held talks with him in Berlin.