Urging US to ‘stay the course’ in Iran, exiled prince wins ovation from conservatives

WASHINGTON — The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, Reza Pahlavi, earned thunderous applause from a packed conference hall of US conservatives on Saturday as he urged Washington to press its military campaign against Tehran.

Speaking to a raucous audience in Texas, Pahlavi cast the war as a historic opportunity to topple Iran’s clerical leadership, drawing cheers with a vision of his country transformed from an adversary of the United States into an ally.

“Can you imagine Iran going from ‘Death to America’ to ‘God Bless America?'” he asked the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in the Dallas suburbs, prompting one of several standing ovations.

The 65-year-old son of Iran’s last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled the US-backed monarchy and ushered in the current system of clerical rule.

He has long positioned himself as a unifying figure for Iran’s fragmented opposition, and on Saturday told supporters he was ready to lead a democratic transition.

“President Trump is making America great again. I intend to make Iran great again,” he said, drawing prolonged applause.

The warm reception for Pahlavi underscored the extent to which parts of the conservative movement have rallied behind US President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran — a shift that sits uneasily with the “America First” instinct to avoid foreign entanglements.

The United States and Israel launched a sweeping air campaign against Iran on February 28, killing supreme leader Ali Khamenei and many senior officials, and targeting the country’s military infrastructure.

Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks across the region, while the conflict has disrupted global energy markets and raised fears of a wider war.

Pahlavi urged the United States to “stay the course” and “pave the way for the Iranian people to finish the job,” arguing that only the complete collapse of the Islamic Republic could bring lasting stability.

“This regime in its entirety must go,” he said.

His message aligned closely with the most hawkish voices in Trump’s coalition, who argue that sustained pressure could trigger an uprising inside Iran.

“Iran’s story is not yet finished,” he said. “Great civilizations outlast even the most vicious occupiers.”

Trump himself skipped CPAC — an annual conference that typically takes place in Washington — for the first time in a decade, with officials citing his busy schedule amid the Iran war.

The war started some six weeks after Iranian security forces gunned down thousands of people in a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters across the country in January. Pahlavi, at the time, positioned himself as a figurehead of the protests, where some people could be seen hoisting his likeness and chanting “long live the shah.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.