INTERVIEW: "We are hostages to our own hostages" – Reza Pahlavi on the West’s failed Iran policy

Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran, has raised serious allegations against the German government after being uninvited from the Munich Security Conference. The fact that he was first invited and then uninvited proves the influence of the Iranian leadership on the German government, Pahlavi said in an interview with WELT TV in Munich. He had traveled to the conference even though he was not allowed to speak at the conference itself as planned.
The way he was treated showed “that Tehran is pulling the strings in the government in Berlin,” said Pahlavi. This illustrates the consequences of appeasement. A spokesperson for the Munich Security Conference (MSC) told WELT on Thursday: “For the MSC 2025, the MSC Chairman, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, had already informally invited Mr. Pahlavi. In consultation with the German government, Mr. Heusgen has decided not to formalize the invitation to Mr. Pahlavi.”

When asked whether and why Foreign Minister Annalena Baeerbock had yielded to Tehran’s influence, Pahlavi said that this was done on the assumption that it would appease the regime and deter it from taking further measures against Germany, such as detaining more Germans as hostages. “But this is a failed policy, it does not work,” said Pahlavi. ‘On the contrary – weakness encourages Tehran to take even more hostages.’ Last week, the German Foreign Office told WELT in response to an inquiry that the conference organizers alone decide on invitations to the MSC, and that the Foreign Office does not influence them.
Pahlavi hopes that the next German government, as well as the Western countries as a whole, will pursue a policy that goes beyond the necessary external pressure through sanctions. As a second element, support for the Iranian population is important, for example, by helping with the internal and external communication of opponents of the regime or the redirection of frozen Iranian assets in favor of the resistance.

Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the United States, believes that the time is ripe. There is a high level of resistance and protest, inflation is high, the Iranian currency is weak, and salaries are not being paid: “For the first time in 46 years (since the so-called Islamic Revolution in 1979; editor’s note), the population is at its strongest and the regime at its weakest.”
The Western states should take advantage of this opportunity instead of sitting down at the table with representatives of the regime again “and hoping that this time a different result will emerge”. That has never worked. Pahlavi is concerned about the progress of the nuclear program in the country, which is currently severely weakened. This is clearly aimed at ultimately acquiring nuclear weapons. And the regime, Pahlavi fears, would then have no qualms about using them.

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00:00:00 – Introduction and Guest Overview
Introduction of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Persia, and his political mission.

00:02:17 – Iran’s Influence on Germany and the Munich Security Conference
Discussion on Tehran’s influence over German politics and why Pahlavi was barred from attending the Munich Security Conference.

00:05:27 – Germany’s Iran Policy and International Relations
Criticism of Germany’s foreign policy and the strategy of appeasement toward the Iranian regime.

00:07:23 – Iran’s Threat to the West and Geopolitical Impact
Analysis of how the Iranian regime poses a danger through terrorism, nuclear ambitions, and influence on Western nations.

00:10:26 – Prospects for Regime Change in Iran
Assessment of the Iranian opposition movement, the country’s economic crisis, and potential international support for change.

00:18:50 – How to Support the Iranian People
Strategies to assist the Iranian opposition, including sanctions, financial aid, and technological support.

00:20:06 – Women’s Rights Movement in Iran and Social Change
The significance of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement and the historical role of Iranian women

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