Geneva, February 18, 2025 – Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi delivered a robust speech at the moment on the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, calling for international help to dismantle Iran’s ruling regime and usher in a secular, democratic future. Addressing a packed viewers that included human rights advocates, worldwide officers, and members of the Iranian diaspora, Pahlavi outlined his imaginative and prescient for a free Iran and condemned the Islamic Republic’s human rights violations, repression, and financial mismanagement.
Pahlavi started by acknowledging the hundreds of Iranians who traveled to Geneva to point out their dedication to Iran’s liberation. Speaking on the residence of the United Nations Human Rights Council, he thanked the occasion organizers and emphasised that Iranians have lengthy been silenced—each by the regime and by ideological biases that distort the fact of Iran’s battle.
Exposing the Regime’s Deception and Atrocities
Pahlavi described the Islamic Republic’s rise to energy as a narrative of deception, with the West and media initially portraying Ayatollah Khomeini as a logo of justice and freedom. Instead, he argued, what adopted was “hell on Earth.” He pointed to the 1978 Cinema Rex fireplace in Abadan, which killed over 400 folks, as an early instance of the brutality that may come underneath the brand new regime.
He lamented that Iran’s brightest minds—navy officers, intellectuals, and enterprise leaders—had been among the many first to be executed or exiled. “Their murders had been celebrated in revolutionary newspapers whereas ignored in Western ones,” he acknowledged, including that their households had been denied even the dignity of mourning.
The speech additionally highlighted the regime’s relentless oppression of ladies, recalling that one in all its first acts was revoking Iran’s progressive household safety legislation and implementing the necessary hijab. However, Pahlavi praised the braveness of Iranian girls, saying their battle is not only concerning the hijab however about reclaiming equality and sovereignty.
A Nation Fighting for Unity and Freedom
Pahlavi rejected any makes an attempt to divide Iranians alongside ethnic or spiritual strains. He criticized the Islamic Republic’s persecution of spiritual minorities, together with the Bahá’ís, Christians, Sufis, Zoroastrians, and Sunni Muslims. He condemned the regime’s efforts to erase Iran’s pre-Islamic historical past, citing the neglect of Persepolis and Pasargadae.
He emphasised that regardless of repression, Iranians stay united of their demand for an finish to the regime. He pointed to the 2017 and 2019 protests as a turning level, the place folks now not chanted for reform however for the outright elimination of the Islamic Republic. He additionally referenced the Women, Life, Freedom rebellion of 2022, sparked by the homicide of Mahsa Amini, for instance of Iran’s collective resilience.
“The Islamic Republic’s conflict on all strata of Iranian society has focused communities throughout our nation, throughout provincial, linguistic, and tribal strains,” Pahlavi stated. “But regardless of all its makes an attempt, it shall not divide us. We are combating not simply in opposition to the regime however for Iran.”
International Terrorism and Environmental Devastation
Pahlavi accused the Islamic Republic of exporting terrorism past Iran’s borders, utilizing its embassies and cultural facilities as bases for espionage and hostage diplomacy. He additionally highlighted Iran’s environmental destruction underneath the regime, noting the near-disappearance of Lake Urmia, the drying of rivers like Zayandeh Rood, and the extreme air air pollution in main cities. “Even those that attempt to shield Iran’s surroundings, like Kavous Seyed-Emami, are imprisoned or murdered,” he added.
A Call for Action: “Now Is the Time to Act”
Declaring that the Islamic Republic is at its weakest level in historical past, Pahlavi outlined a five-step technique to dismantle the regime and rebuild Iran:
1. Mobilizing grassroots networks inside Iran
2. Uniting the Iranian diaspora
3. Pressuring G20 governments to impose most sanctions on the regime whereas supporting the folks
4. Encouraging defections from inside the regime
5. Preparing for political stabilization, democratic elections, and Iran’s financial reconstruction
“For many years, my folks have endured struggling, but their spirit stays unbroken,” he declared. “This battle is not only about Iran’s survival—it’s about international stability and peace.”
He concluded with a direct message to world leaders: “The Iranian folks don’t ask in your pity. They ask in your partnership. Will you stand with us?”
Growing Momentum for a Democratic Iran
The speech marked a major second within the Iranian opposition motion, with many attendees expressing help for Pahlavi’s management. Iranian activists, exiled opposition figures, and supporters in Geneva and past see his name as a pivotal step towards unifying efforts in opposition to the regime.
With rising protests inside Iran and rising worldwide consciousness of the Islamic Republic’s human rights violations, at the moment’s speech indicators a renewed push for international help in Iran’s quest for democracy.