His supporters treated the exiled leader with a fervor similar to that which President Donald Trump would have received if he had attended the annual gathering.
Hours before Pahlavi addressed the crowd, his supporters, many of whom were sporting the Iranian flag, gathered at the Gaylord Texan, where they chanted in his favor. Mere minutes before Pahlavi appeared onstage, security stopped allowing attendees into the main stage, claiming the room had reached capacity.
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Pahlavi used his 28-minute speech to paint a vision of a free Iran that is no longer a terrorist threat to the U.S. or the rest of the free world. He also used his speech to make the case to become the next leader of Iran, to the delight of the crowd.
“Across Iran and throughout the diaspora, millions of Iranians have called on me to lead the transition to democracy,” he said to loud applause.
The joint U.S.-Israel operation against Tehran turned one month on Saturday, the same day that Pahlavi spoke at CPAC. The war remains unpopular in the U.S., but in Texas, Persians were ecstatic about a free Iran.
“Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a free Iran,” Pahlavi told the crowd. “No more nuclear threats, no more terrorism, no more hostage taking, no more closing of the Strait of Hormuz… Imagine an Iran that, instead of exporting terrorism, is promoting freedom.”
Pahlavi received some of his best applause when he called for an Iran that is a friend to Israel and praised Trump.
Trump, according to Pahlavi, was “the only president of the United States who has the courage and the character to see this mission through.”
“President Trump is making America great again,” said Pahlavi. “I intend to make Iran great again.”
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Heila Shahidi, 26, was among the hundreds of Persians who supported Pahlavi’s bid to become the next leader of Tehran at CPAC.
“We hope to see that he is on that path to be the leader. We are trying to get those signs of that,” Shahidi said. “Hopefully, he is going to be put into the position of transitioning since Trump or other politicians really haven’t talked about him being the leader.”
“He’s the only leader that the people in Iran are chanting his name,” added Maryam Salehi, 64, a Persian who lives in San Diego. “They are only believing in him.”
But not every Persian wants Pahlavi to take control.
Mona Jam is an Iranian immigrant who attended CPAC but refused to watch Pahlavi’s speech.
“He is just the son of the Shah. So if he was supposed to be the next leader in Iran, I mean, he should have done something,” Jam told the Washington Examiner. “He’s been in exile for many years. He has no boots on the ground.”
Trump chose to skip this year’s CPAC, but attendees, including Iranian exiles, continued to sing his praises.
“Trump has been basically a savior, like there has been no politician that has … been this strongly against the regime. Other politicians have been funding them with the nuclear deal,” said Shahidi, praising Trump’s leadership in the Iran war.
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Pahlavi does not yet appear to have Trump’s support. But his CPAC speech is likely part of his campaign to convince the president to back his bid to lead Tehran and continue the war against Iran.
“What we ask of America now is simple: Stay the course,” he implored. “Pave the way for the Iranian people to finish the job.”
