Pahlavi Pledges 'Make Iran Great Again' at CPAC
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- Reza Pahlavi told the CPAC audience in Grapevine, Texas that "this regime in its entirety must go" and pledged to "make Iran great again," drawing a standing ovation and chants of "Long live the king!" from supporters.
- Pahlavi's speech fell on the one-month anniversary of the US-Israeli war on Iran, with the source reporting at least 1,937 people killed and tens of thousands injured inside Iran as the conflict enters its second month.
- President Trump has previously downplayed Pahlavi's role, telling reporters earlier this month that the shah's son "looks like a very nice person" but that "somebody from within, maybe, would be more appropriate" given Pahlavi's limited domestic popularity.
- Analysts cited in the source warn Iran's government is unlikely to collapse and may emerge from the conflict more hardened, while some Iranian exiles have been criticized for supporting the US-Israeli war despite the toll on Iranian civilians.
- The US right is visibly split over the war: a Pew Research Center poll found 71% of Republican voters supported the attack versus 59% of all voters opposing the initial strikes, with Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon emerging as vocal critics.
- Younger right-wing activists frame the conflict as a betrayal of Trump's America First promises, with one Young Americans for Liberty member telling the AP: "We did not want to see more wars."
Why it matters: Pahlavi's CPAC platform and standing ovation signal that regime change remains the preferred outcome for a vocal faction of Trump's base, yet Trump's own public skepticism about Pahlavi's popularity, combined with analyst warnings that Tehran is unlikely to collapse, exposes a credibility gap between the conference rhetoric and the strategic reality of a war 59% of all US voters oppose.
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