Iranians "Died" For Freedom, Not for Hormuz to Reopen: Pahlavi

Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last Shah, told IT NEWS, that thousands of Iranians had not died for a nuclear deal of the Strait of Hormuz to remain open.

"40,000 Iranians haven't died in the span of 2 days for a nuclear deal or for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open", Pahlavi said. "They have died for the sake of liberty and freedom and democracy. And they've been oddly absent of any negotiation."

The figure of 40,000 deaths refers to Iranian casualties during the conflict, a toll Pahlavi used to argue that any agreement that fails to address the Iranian people's political aspirations is built on a flawed foundation.

Not Hurt by Trump’s Praise of the New Regime

When asked whether it hurt to hear President Donald Trump describe Iran's current leadership as "very rational people”, Pahlavi said he would wait for the next tweet.

"I'll wait for the next tweet, which might come in a few hours," he told ITV News, "because we have seen a pattern of contradictory messages coming out."

The response came in the context of Trump's remarks at the G7 summit in France, where the U.S. president described the post-strikes Iranian leadership as "smart," "not radicalized," and "nice to deal with".

“Regime Is to Blame For the School Strike”

Pahlavi placed responsibility squarely on the regime when pressed on whether he regrets staying aligned with the Trump administration even after more than 150 people, mostly children, were killed in a strike on a school on the first day of the war.

"Who's to blame in all this is the regime that, actually, to take a page out of what Hamas has done in Gaza, hiding people, using them as human shields," he said.

American Intervention Was for “Liberation”

Pahlavi defended the military intervention that weakened the Iranian regime, drawing a comparison that is likely to generate debate:

"Did the French object to the Allies landing in Normandy and liberating them from the Nazis?" he asked.

"To us, that intervention was necessary to cripple the regime that is using military weaponry to shoot at their own citizens on the street."

The comparison frames the strikes not as foreign aggression but as a liberation operation, a framing Pahlavi has used consistently since the beginning of the U.S.-Iran War.

Mixed Feelings on the World Cup

Pahlavi also addressed the Iranian national football team's participation in the upcoming World Cup.

"I always supported our national team regardless of the political circumstances because it's our national team, whether it's in the Olympics or anywhere else," he said.