Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran, told a captive audience at the National Press Club Monday that worldwide media must help expose the government-led oppression of citizens in Iran following that nation’s controversial Presidential election.
“Only an information blackout can isolate individuals so that they can be oppressed separately. Thus, the outcome of this struggle will depend on your ability, the free media, to fight their blackouts with the light of information.”
Pahlavi acknowledged the Iranian Government’s recent crackdown on foreign media, as well as its restrictions on the use of social networking websites including Facebook and Twitter, but urged dissenters in the country to continue sharing their stories with the rest of the world.
“It is the third leg of communication, from people to people, from one resistance cell to another, from leaders to supporters inside of which the regime is most fearful.”
Pahlavi, recognized by some as the Crown Prince of Iran, left Iran in 1978 to study collegiately in the U.S., and was exiled from his home country for good following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. He has not returned to Iran since.
Moments after expressing his desire to help Iranians achieve freedom, Pahlavi became visibly shaken up, pausing his speech to choke back tears after detailing some of the violence that has occurred in Iran as a result of clashes between protestors and government-backed forces.
Later, Pahlavi called on foreign governments to allow opponents of the Iranian regime to be the sole owners of the current revolution.
“Your governments have insisted that they would not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs; I applaud that. Any such attempt will give the tyrants the excuse they need to paper over their own differences, and target every man struggling for freedom as a foreign agent.”
In a possible reference to the U.N.’s failure to strongly condemn the government-backed violence against demonstrators in Iran, Pahlavi urged the international community to show solidarity, and to “provide the Iranian people with more than just verbal support.”
Pahlavi encouraged protestors to continue being resilient, and to sustain their movement for change.
“It may not succeed immediately, but it will not die because we will not let it die!” Pahlavi exclaimed. Later, when asked by a reporter for a prediction on how long the protests will last, Pahlavi responded by saying “the numbers will grow.”
Note: Pahlavi reminded the audience on more than one occasion that his public appearance did not signal a desire to return to politics in Iran. “The opposition is not about me,” he said. Pahlavi also divulged that he has spoken with military intelligence sources inside Iran who told him that the regime has enlisted members of Hamas to help quell some of the protests taking place in cities such as Tehran.***CLICK ON THE AUDIO LINK BELOW TO LISTEN TO TALK RADIO NEWS SERVICE’S GEOFF HOLTZMAN INTERVIEW REZA PAHLAVI FOLLOWING HIS ADDRESS AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB***Listen
Geoff Holtzman
Iranian President Ahmadinejad's Comments to the Press at General Assembly
During the conversation, which was at times confrontational, Ahmadinejad retained a sense of relaxed composure. Though he skirted issues such as detention of dissidents, media transparency, and nuclear threats to Israel, Ahmadinejad was willing to engage on multiple, controversial topics.
Ahmadinejad spoke of his country's willingness to allow IAEA inspectors in to Iran, and denied the possibility that Iran would preemptively attack Israel, stating that "[the world] is entering a post-nuclear" era. The president also discussed his willingness to cooperate with the Iraqi government, cautioned the West about it's excursion in Afghanistan, and warned of the hazards of continued violence in the Middle East.
Listen to Audio File (5:06), via translation
Listen to Entire Press Conference (59:10), via translation
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