Crown prince urges the world to stand with the people of Iran as 250,000 rally in Munich

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By STANISLAV HODINA
Updated 3:25 AM CST, February 15, 2026
Leer en español

MUNICH (AP) — About 250,000 people demonstrated on Saturday against Iran’s government on the sidelines of a gathering of world leaders in Germany, police said, answering a call from Iran ’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for cranked-up international pressure on Tehran.

Banging drums and chanting for regime change, the giant and boisterous rally in Munich was part of what Pahlavi described as a “global day of action” to support Iranians in the wake of deadly nationwide protests. He also called for demonstrations in Los Angeles and Toronto. Police said in a post on X that the number of protesters reached some 250,000, more than the organizers had expected.

“Change, change, regime change” the huge crowd chanted, waving green-white-and-red flags with lion and sun emblems. Iran used that flag before its 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi dynasty.

At a news conference, Pahlavi warned of more deaths in Iran if “democracies stand by and watch” following Iran’s deadly crackdown on protesters last month.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/iran-munich-protests-reza-pahlavi-53d2448dd26d28a1206ecefdfde168f2

[lonely bird]

1. No love for the theocrats in Iran

The sooner they are gone, the better.

That being said, fuck Pahlavi unless he favors democracy in Iran and not restoring his family to power.

[Bengus81]

4. Yeah....What does he want to do, rule Iran like his brutal,dictator murdering father did?

[Polybius]

8. Some countries aren't ready for democracy

Case in point, Afghanistan. The last Shah had many problems, but at least he allowed women basic rights, something the Ayatollah does not.

[lonely bird]

16. Hmmm

I wouldn’t call SAVAK just a problem.

We have a long history of supporting RW dictators. And Iran was a total cock-up by us and the Brits.

[lonely bird]

18. Ask the Kurds how it was under the Shah

Sure, many countries have had little to no experience with democracy. That being said there have been countries that transitioned successfully. And it takes a populace that wants to drive change.

[ClaudetteCC]

9. Many of the protests featured calls of 'Javid Shah' - Long Live the King.

He has spoken at length and depth about being a transitional figure. What other scenarios do you see for going from a Shia Mullacracy to something resembling a pluralistic representative form of government?

[lonely bird]

17. Well

Castro spoke of not left or right but straight ahead at the start of the Revolution

Pinochet spoke of a “protected democracy”

The problem arises from a singular figure who claims authority which has, imo, the tendency to devolve into charlatanism where no one can question the “leader”.

[ClaudetteCC]

19. Deception is always a threat

but at some point we have to trust some leadership to provide a transition. A military occupation by outside forces has its own perils.

[UpInArms]

2. I remember when 11 million people were in the streets protesting

against the upcoming Iraq invasion by GWB …

We were called a fringe focus group

[riversedge]

3. ...The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 7,005 people were killed in last month's protests,

.............The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 7,005 people were killed in last month’s protests, including 214 government forces. It has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists inside Iran to verify deaths.

Iran’s government offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. Iran’s theocracy in the past has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.

[Mosby]

21. More like 30k to 40k protesters have been killed

As many many as 30,000 people could have been killed in the streets of Iran on Jan. 8 and 9 alone, two senior officials of the country’s Ministry of Health told TIME—indicating a dramatic surge in the death toll. So many people were slaughtered by Iranian security services on that Thursday and Friday, it overwhelmed the state’s capacity to dispose of the dead. Stocks of body bags were exhausted, the officials said, and eighteen-wheel semi-trailers replaced ambulances.
https://time.com/7357635/more-than-30000-killed-in-iran-say-senior-officials/

Iran opposition outlet says regime killed over 36,000 people on January 8-9
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-opposition-outlet-says-regime-killed-over-36000-people-on-january-8-9/

[Kid Berwyn]

5. For BP!

By SAVAK.

[FakeNoose]

6. Has Iran or Persia ever had a democracy? Not that I know of ...

... and certainly not under the former rule of the Pahlavi monarchy.

I don't dispute the sincerity of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi in the efforts to topple the current regime. However I do question his intention to replace it with some form of "democracy." The long-suffering people of Iran need to be wary.

[Polybius]

7. The Shah shall return

Perhaps they'll even rename it Persia again. It sounds so much better than Iran.

[ClaudetteCC]

10. Persia refers to a specific (though majority) ethnic group

Iran was chosen as the country name in 1935 as more inclusive of its inhabitants.

[Polybius]

12. I still like the name Persia so much better

Hopefully, after all this time, they will realize the Ayatollah's Islamic Revolution was far less inclusive than going back to the name Persia. I think it's a good tradeoff, don't ya think? No more Ayatollah, go back to Persia. Ahh, it won't happen, but I can always dream...

[Sequoia]

14. Same here.

Persia is poetic, but Iran is hard like iron. While we're at it, I prefer the old name of Burma also.

[ClaudetteCC]

15. I'll certainly celebrate the demise of the Ayatollahs and the Islamic Revolution and their proxy armies

in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, etc. The name Iran precedes the 1979 revolution by 44 years and if they want to keep the name I'll honor their choice.

[JI7]

11. Iran is what the people have always called it

Persia is what people outside the area called it. Both are historical names for the area.

[Gore1FL]

20. I'd prefer we jump back, not tot he Shah, but to the democratic government the U.S. overthrew to put in the Shah.

Going back to the Shah seems like a really shitty idea.

[IronLionZion]

13. Prince of Persia sounds like the video game

I highly doubt anyone is going to restore the monarchy. Pahlavi makes the news because he's a public figure.