REZA PAHLAVI: THE FREEDOM FIGHTER

“A man of great moral conviction who is fighting the good fight all around the world so that the people of Iran can have the kind of freedom and enjoy the blessings of liberty that you and I so often take for granted” — this is how Chancellor Jonathan Falwell introduced Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, at Liberty University’s convocation today.

Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran — Photo: Liberty University’s YouTube Channel

After his introduction, Reza Pahlavi addressed the faculty and students of Liberty University and thanked them for the invitation, noting that his remarks came at the beginning of Passover and on the cusp of Easter.

He positioned himself not only as an Iranian, but as “a witness on behalf of millions of my compatriots whose voices have been silenced,” describing a nation cut off from the world for 33 days without internet, connection, or the ability to communicate.

“For 33 days, Iranians have lived in digital darkness. Not 33 minutes, not even 33 hours. 33 days.”

He described a complete blackout — no messages, no social media, no way to show the world what is being done, and no way for people to tell their families they are alive — urging the audience to imagine that period not as a choice, but as a prison. A nation of over 90 million people, he said, has been silenced because there is too much truth to hide.

“That silence is not accidental. It is the sound of a regime trying to kill a revolution in the dark.”

From there, Pahlavi escalated to the scale of violence, arguing that what is happening in Iran goes beyond injustice and must be called evil. He cited repeated waves of repression, including the killing of more than 30,000 protesters on January 8th and 9th. He then named individual victims:

“Sina, a 17-year-old who went out with his family to demand freedom and was shot in the streets, never to return home. Rubina, a young student who dreamed of studying fashion in Milan, whose family searched through rows of bodies just to find her. Borna, who said, if I don't go, nothing will change. He chose to go, and he was killed for it. Kimia, 17-year-old, shot in the chest by the very forces meant to protect her. Two brothers, Rasul and Reza, who stood side by side in protest and were both shot dead in the street together. And Bahar, three years old, three years old killed not in war, not on the battlefield, but by tear gas in her own country. These are not statistics, these are lives.”

He continued by detailing further abuses, including executions, assaults in hospitals, and systemic brutality, emphasizing:

“Families forced to pay for the bullets that killed their sons and daughters. This is not politics. This is not governance. This is not even repression. This is evil, organized, sustained, and unapologetic.”

Shifting to the role of young people, he described universities across Iran as battlegrounds where students protest despite raids, arrests, and killings, returning again and again.

“Freedom is worth everything. Freedom is worth dying for.”

He then turned directly to the contrast with his audience:

“In America, students debate ideas. In Iran, students bleed for them. In America, you raise your voice. In Iran, they risk their lives to whisper and then bravely to shout.”

While students in the United States plan their futures, he said, their peers in Iran fight for survival under a system that fears them.

He challenged the audience directly:

“What will you do with your liberty when others your age are dying for theirs?”

Addressing religion, Pahlavi pointed to the growth of Christianity despite persecution:

“In Iran today, Christianity is not fading. It is rising, quietly, powerfully, underground.”

He described a reality of imprisoned pastors, confiscated Bibles, and hunted believers, framing faith as something that endures under pressure. He then turned to Iran’s historical identity, referencing Cyrus the Great and describing a legacy rooted in tolerance and dignity, before arguing that the current system has broken from that foundation:

“The regime that rules Iran today has betrayed that legacy. It does not represent the Iranian people.”

From there, his message hardened into a political conclusion:

“There is no negotiating with evil. There is no reforming a system built on brutality. There is only one path forward. The end of this regime.”

And finishing his speech, the message was clear:

“Let your anger move you. Let your faith guide you. Let your voice be heard. Speak for those who cannot. Stand with those who are alone. Refuse to look away.”

He closed on a note of conviction and inevitability:

“I have not lost hope because I have seen the courage of my people. I have seen young women stand unarmed before guns. I have seen students refuse to kneel. I have seen a nation rise again and again. The end of this regime is not a dream. It is approaching. And when that day comes, Iran will not be a threat to the world. It will be a partner, a friend, a nation reborn in freedom.”