Crown Prince urges world to stand with Iranian people at 250,000 rally in Munich

MUNICH (AP) — About 250,000 people demonstrated against Iran’s government Saturday on the sidelines of a gathering of world leaders in Germany, police said, responding to calls by Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for international pressure on Tehran.

Banging drums and chanting for regime change, the huge and spirited rally in Munich was part of what Pahlavi described as a “global day of action” to support Iranians amid deadly nationwide protests. He also called for demonstrations in Los Angeles and Toronto. Police said in a post on X that the number of protesters had reached about 250,000, more than organizers had expected.

Waving green-white and red flags with lion and sun symbols, huge crowds chanted ‘change, change, regime change’. Iran used that flag before its 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty.

At a news conference, Pahlavi warned of more deaths in Iran as “democracies stand by and watch” after Iran’s deadly crackdown on protesters last month.

“At a time of grave danger, we gather to ask: Will the world stand with the people of Iran?” he asked. He added that the existence of Iran’s government “sends a clear signal to every threat: kill enough people and you stay in power.”

At the Munich rally, protesters wore red “Make Iran Great Again” hats, mimicking the MAGA hats worn by supporters of US President Donald Trump. Among those sporting the hat was U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who gave a speech to the crowd during which he posed for photos holding the headwear.

Many at the rally waved placards showing Pahlavi, some calling him Raja. The son of the deposed Shah of Iran has been in exile for nearly 50 years but is trying to establish himself as a player in Iran’s future.

The crowd chanted “Pahlavi for Iran”, and “Democracy for Iran” as they beat drums and cymbals.

“We have great hope and hope for regime change,” said protester Daniel Mohtashmian, who traveled from Zurich, Switzerland, to speak for protesters inside Iran who face repression.

“There is an internet blackout, and their voice is not going out of Iran,” he said.

Outside the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, around 500 protesters held banners chanting anti-Iranian government and pro-Pahlavi slogans.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 7,000 people, including 214 government troops, were killed in last month’s protests. It is accurate in counting deaths during the previous phase of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists inside Iran to verify deaths.

Iran’s government said on January 21 that 3,117 people had been killed. Iran’s theocracy has historically undercounted or underreported deaths from past unrest.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll because authorities have blocked Internet access and international calls to Iran.

Iranian leaders are facing new pressure from Trump, who has threatened US military action. Trump wants Iran to further curtail its nuclear program. He suggested on Friday that regime change in Iran “could be the best thing.”

Iran was also at the center of demonstrations in Munich on Friday, the opening day of an annual security conference in the city where European leaders and global security figures gather. The demonstration was organized by supporters of the Iranian opposition group People’s Mujahideen Organization of Iran, known as Mujahideen-e-Khalq.

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Associated Press reporters John Leicester in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.