Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi pressed for a tougher European response to Tehran on Nov. 9, urging governments at a Krakow news conference to close Iranian embassies and target illicit funds linked to Iran’s government.
The European Jewish Association (EJA) presented Pahlavi with its King Solomon Award in Krakow that day, according to his communications office. The association’s event listing says its program ran Nov. 9-10 and included events in Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Times of Israel and JNS reported that Pahlavi also called for European governments to expel Iranian diplomats. He urged support for internet access for people in Iran during shutdowns, the outlets reported. “We are beyond resolutions. We are beyond condemnations,” Pahlavi said.
Pahlavi characterized Iran’s government as a threat to Israel, Jewish communities in Europe and European security. At the award ceremony, he referred to historical ties between Persian and Jewish people and proposed a “Cyrus Accords” framework for regional cooperation involving a future democratic Iran, JNS and The Jerusalem Post reported. No agreement was announced.
In a Nov. 10 post, Pahlavi’s communications office said he took part in an Auschwitz-Birkenau remembrance visit with his wife, Yasmine, and EJA chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin. The program coincided with the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the anti-Jewish pogrom of Nov. 9-10, 1938, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Times of Israel separately reported that Pahlavi called for wider Holocaust education during the visit.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said in a post that Iranians should choose their leaders and Belgium would not endorse Pahlavi as a unifying opposition figure, as EconoTimes previously reported on Belgium’s position.
