Iran’s opposition leader calls on the Trump administration to ‘stay the course’ as the US and Israel continue war against Iran.
Published on 28 March 2026
Amid questions about the future of Iran’s government, the former shah’s son presented himself at a right-wing summit in the United States and was given a warm welcome.
Reza Pahlavi, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas on Saturday, urged US President Donald Trump not to cut the deal with Iran and instead demand regime change.
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“Can you imagine Iran moving from ‘Death to America’ to ‘God Bless America’?”. the self-proclaimed crown prince asked his audience in Grapevine, Texas.
He said, “President Trump is making America great again. I intend to make Iran great again.”
His comments came on the one-month anniversary of America and Israel’s decision to launch a war against Iran. As the conflict enters its second month, at least 1,937 people have been killed in Iran, and thousands more injured, with no end in sight to the fighting.
Pahlavi has become a central opposition figure in the Iranian diaspora, with a loyal base of supporters who often hold his image alongside Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag at protests around the world.
During his speech, some in the audience chanted, “Long live the King!”
While some in the Iranian diaspora have expressed reservations about the US-Israeli attacks and their impact on Iran’s future, Pahlavi has emerged as a vocal supporter of Trump, aligning with the administration’s most hawkish figures.
“This regime must end completely,” he said on Saturday.
Analysts have warned that the Iranian government is unlikely to collapse and may emerge from the conflict tougher than before. Meanwhile, some exiles have been criticized for voicing their support for the US-Israeli war despite the heavy toll it has taken on Iranian civilians.
Trump himself has previously played down the possibility that the son of the former shah, who was expelled from Iran during the country’s 1979 revolution, could play a central role in Iran if the current government falls.
Earlier this month, Trump said Pahlavi “seems like a very good person”, but indicated that the shah’s son does not have popularity in Iran.
Trump had said, “I feel like someone from within would probably be a better fit.”
Divisions within the US over the war in Iran were also in evidence at CPAC. Polls show that, while the war is broadly unpopular among American voters, Republicans support it by large margins.
For example, in a Pew Research Center survey, 71 percent of Republican voters felt the US made the right decision in attacking Iran. Overall, 59 percent of voters, regardless of party, opposed the initial attacks.
Nevertheless, some influential voices on the American right, such as Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, have emerged as vocal critics of the war. Youth activists have also expressed disappointment over what they see as a betrayal of Trump’s promise to avoid military adventures abroad.
“We didn’t want to see more wars. We wanted real America First policies, and Trump was very clear about that,” Benjamin Williams, a 25-year-old marketing specialist for Young Americans for Liberty, told the Associated Press. “It sure feels like a betrayal.”
