Support for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi

PRESS RELEASE · 5 OCTOBER 2026

We, the supporters of this statement, welcome the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom’s decision to honour the Iranian people with the 2026 Freedom Prize and invite Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to receive it in trust on their behalf in Frankfurt on 7 November 2026. In response to objections, we affirm our support for this choice.^[1]

Listening to voices within Iran, we support Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as a transitional leader towards secular democracy. We regard him as a leading opposition figure with substantial support inside the country. GAMAAN’s June 2024 survey recorded 31% support for him, the highest share among the named opposition figures; a survey estimate is not an electoral mandate.^[3]

The Pahlavi era saw the expansion of modern education and central state institutions. Its historical record deserves impartial, contextual assessment, especially by historians. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi should be judged by his own words and actions, not by his father’s or grandfather’s name. Learning from history, we seek a future grounded in secular democracy.^[4][5]

We endorse his four stated principles: Iran’s territorial integrity; equal rights and individual freedoms for all citizens; separation of religion and state; and the people’s right to choose their future constitution and system of government through the ballot box. We therefore support the foundation’s wise choice to honour the Iranian people’s courage and struggle for freedom and democracy.^[2]

Note on the evidence

The June 2024 survey used online participation and weighting to represent Iran’s literate adult population. Its published estimates do not establish a majority mandate or replace free elections. This statement expresses the supporters’ political position.^[3]

References

1. Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. The Iranian People Receive the 2026 Freedom Prize. 14 September 2026. Source.
2. Reza Pahlavi. Speech at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Dutch House of Representatives. 6 July 2026. Source.
3. GAMAAN. Analytical Report on Iranians’ Political Preferences in 2024. Published 20 August 2025; survey June 2024. Source.
4. Ahmad Ashraf. Education vii: General Survey of Modern Education. Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VIII, Fasc. 2, pp. 189–196. 15 December 1997; updated 30 January 2017. Source.
5. Encyclopaedia Iranica. Administration in Iran vii: Pahlavi period. Source.