Reza Pahlavi urges CPAC: 'Stay the course' against Iran — 'this regime in its entirety must go'

Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last Shah and leader-in-exile of the Iranian opposition, appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the Dallas suburbs and received thunderous applause from a packed hall. Pahlavi cast the war as a historic opportunity to topple Iran's clerical leadership, urging Washington not to settle for degradation: 'This regime in its entirety must go.' He called for sustained pressure to trigger internal collapse: 'Stay the course and pave the way for the Iranian people to finish the job.' The 65-year-old said: 'President Trump is making America great again. I intend to make Iran great again.' He suggested Iran could be transformed from an adversary to an ally: 'Can you imagine Iran going from death to America to God Bless America?' His speech highlights a key fault line in US strategy: the VP Vance 'short term conflict / neuter them' exit lane vs. the Pahlavi/CPAC regime-change faction that wants sustained pressure until the Islamic Republic falls. Trump skipped CPAC for the first time in a decade — officials cited his busy schedule amid the Iran war.