Warning to the West

From the first days of the Revolution of the Lion and the Sun, in January 2026, and after the massacre of more than forty thousand Iranians carried out by the criminal regime of the Islamic Republic, one reality became increasingly clear to Iranian patriots across the world: while after forty-seven years of resistance to one of the worst theocratic tyrannies in history, an entire nation rises to regain its freedom, most governments and major media outlets around the world turn a blind eye.

At best they have expressed compassion. At worst they have continued to treat Iranian events as one crisis among others, without ever clearly acknowledging the profound nature of the movement under way. More troubling still, the majority of major Western media outlets have largely failed to convey to the public what Iranians are actually demanding. Yet their demands are clear: the collapse of the Islamic Republic, return of His Royal Highness Prince Reza Pahlavi to Iran, and then the holding of a free referendum allowing the Iranian nation to choose the institutions that will govern the country within the framework of a secular state governed by the rule of law that guarantees the territorial integrity of Iran, its economic, social and political prosperity, and respect for fundamental freedoms.

The same reluctance appeared when it came to discussing the political programme advanced by His Royal Highness and his colleagues. Yet the Iran Prosperity Project today represents the most structured proposal for ensuring democratic transition, institutional reconstruction of the country, restoration of its economy, preservation of its territorial integrity and its reintegration into the community of free nations.

In the same way, the most representative slogans of the movement have often been ignored or downplayed. Yet in the streets of Iran and even outside Iran and during demonstrations organised by the Iranian diaspora across the world, millions of voices have tirelessly chanted :

« Javid Shah ! » (Long live the King !)

and «This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return.»

These slogans testify to the central place occupied by His Royal Highness Prince Reza Pahlavi in the political vision of the present revolution.

Faced with this reality, a legitimate question arises. How can one explain that the political, media and intellectual elites of the free world, who readily present themselves as universal defenders of human rights, remain so restrained when a nation demands precisely freedom, national sovereignty and the rule of law? Why is there such persistent reluctance to mention the sole leader around whom a vast majority of Iranian patriotic forces are capable of rallying today?

One hypothesis deserves serious examination. It is possible that, behind the principled rhetoric, short-term economic interests continue to operate; leading certain powers to favour preservation of the status quo over the emergence of a free Iran. As long as these interests persist, segments of Western political circles will probably continue to seek accommodations with the regime, to maintain exchanges with it and to nourish the illusion that it remains possible to reach a lasting accommodation with this regime.

History, however, warns against this kind of illusion. In the 1930s many European leaders were convinced that by multiplying concessions to Adolf Hitler they would preserve peace. They believed they were being realistic; they were merely postponing the inevitable while strengthening the threat. Today, despite forty-seven years of repression, hostage-taking, terrorist attacks, regional destabilisation, support for terrorism and systematic violations of fundamental rights, some Western leaders continue to adopt toward the regime a policy that dangerously resembles a policy of appeasement. As in the past, this policy is presented as pragmatism and it risks above all strengthening those it claims to contain.

The Iranian issue extends far beyond Iran itself. It directly concerns the citizens of Europe, North America and, more broadly, all societies connected to freedom. As long as the regime remains in power, it will pursue its strategy of ideological and geopolitical expansion. This strategy is implemented by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the true pillar of the system, together with the organisations allied to it, notably Hezbollah and Hamas. Through these instruments, the regime will continue to export radical Islamism, support armed groups, finance clandestine networks, destabilise sovereign states and extend its influence beyond its regional environment.

Above all, time works in favour of the regime. Each passing year brings its leaders closer to military capabilities which can upset the global strategic balance. The danger lies not only in the potential possession of nuclear weapons but it lies in the prospect that a regime driven by an apocalyptic ideology might one day possess the means to strike European capitals directly and, eventually, the major North American metropolises.

Many still believe that the classical logic of nuclear deterrence will suffice to prevent such a scenario. This analysis nevertheless overlooks a fundamental reality: for nearly half a century the regime has demonstrated that it attaches no value to the lives of Iranian citizens when it comes to ensuring its survival or pursuing its ideological objectives. For forty-seven years the Iranian people have been used as a human shield. A regime that treats its own population as a disposable resource cannot be understood through the sole categories of traditional strategic calculation. This characteristic renders particularly alarming the combination of its ideological expansionism, its use of proxy armed organisations and its nuclear ambitions.

Iranian patriots have drawn the consequences of this situation. If certain political circles remain captive to their immediate interests, then it is necessary to address Western citizens directly. They must be told that the fate of Iran is not a distant question reserved for Middle East specialists, It concerns them personally. Their security, that of their children and that of future generations also depends on the outcome of the struggle now being waged by the Iranian people.

For Western citizens, the hour has come to make a decisive choice. It is time to demand accountability and clear explanations from their leaders. It is time to enforce the rejection of a disastrous policy of appeasement, pursued for far too long toward the regime – a diplomacy that has already proven its bankruptcy. It is time to remind elected officials that short-term electoral calculations must not prevail over long-term security imperatives, nor over the defense of the foundational values of our modern democracies. It is time to signify to them that the legacy of the Enlightenment, freedom of conscience, the rule of law, and liberal democracy are today facing perils that must, under no circumstances and under no pretext, be underestimated.

A free, democratic and secular Iran would be a major factor of stability in the Middle East. It would help reduce regional tensions, combat networks of Islamist extremism and strengthen the security of Europe as well as North America. Conversely, every additional year of survival for the regime increases the risks faced by Iranians and by free nations alike.

The time for ambiguities, half-measures and illusions is over. The moment has come to recognise reality as it is, to support clearly His Royal Highness Prince Reza Pahlavi, the Iran Prosperity Project and the Revolution of the Lion and the Sun, and to help the Iranian nation regain its freedom. History teaches a simple lesson: when a threat such as the Islamic Republic becomes sufficiently evident to be recognised by all, it is often already too late to prevent it. It must be brought to an end swiftly.