Reza Pahlavi receives EJA award, warns against Iran's global reach at Auschwitz memorial ceremony

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was honored with the prestigious King Solomon Award during the European Jewish Association (EJA) memorial dinner in Krakow, Poland, on Monday evening ahead of its delegation to Auschwitz. The annual conference gathered international diplomats, Jewish community leaders, and journalists to address rising antisemitism and global security threats. Accepting the recognition, Pahlavi reflected on the historic ties between the Persian and Jewish peoples while emphasizing the shared responsibility of democratic nations to confront contemporary tyranny and ideological extremism across the globe.Islamic Regime wants to 'finish what Hitler has done,' Pahlavi warnsEarlier on Monday, Pahlavi addressed reporters and international delegates at an EJA press conference, warning that the current regime in Tehran poses an active, existential menace to global stability and human dignity.

Framing the ruling Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) apparatus as a unique threat requiring decisive action, he drew a direct lineage between historical fascism and the ideology behind the current Iranian regime.He cautioned that the international community is repeating the fatal error of ignoring explicitly stated genocidal intentions."When you hear 'never again,' this regime, in its viral sense, wants to finish what Hitler has done," Pahlavi stated emphatically, stressing that "you have a regime that has the combination of the three worst forms of governments all at once.

It is totalitarian in some respect. It is racist in some respect. It is fascist in some respect. And yet, nothing has been done to counter it." He called for a moral awakening, arguing that ideological extremism left unchecked inevitably expands beyond its borders to imperil all humanity.Upon receiving the King Solomon award at the EJA memorial dinner on Monday evening, Pahlavi recalled in his address the twenty-five-century-old relationship between Persians and Jews rooted in the legacy of Cyrus the Great, who liberated Jewish captives from Babylon and facilitated the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Building upon his previous historic visit to Israel, where he met with national leadership and prayed at the Western Wall, Pahlavi argued that lasting regional normalization cannot be fully realized while Tehran remains under clerical dictatorship. He proposed elevating existing diplomatic agreements into a comprehensive framework he calls the 'Cyrus Accords,' noting that "without Iran as a partner in that process, there is no way the Abraham Accords could have stood on their own."

Under this vision, a secular, democratic Iran would serve as a cornerstone of regional security, economic integration, and Judeo-Persian partnership, restoring bonds that predated the 1979 Islamic Revolution.The symposium concluded with the international delegation's formal visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum and memorial on Tuesday. Crown Prince Pahlavi attended a solemn ceremony at Birkenau alongside his wife, Yasmine, joining prominent diplomats and Jewish community figures.

Delivering a moving address at Birkenau, EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin reflected on the solemnity of the site, stating, "Here, in this place, words are almost too much. We stand at Birkenau. There are no tombstones here, no names upon the earth... Those who built this place wanted more than just our death; they wanted us to be completely erased... They failed, because we are here, Jews from across Europe, children and grandchildren of survivors, standing alongside the leaders of European nations on this very soil.

That, in itself, is an answer."Pahlavi expresses solidarity with Jewish communityCrown Prince Pahlavi also delivered remarks during the memorial service, expressing solidarity with the Jewish community by declaring, "We stand with you... to ensure that this never, ever happens again." He emphasized the collective imperative of unity and moral clarity, adding, "We stand together, not only to honor those we have lost, but to ensure a future of peace and brotherhood, and an end to evil."

Following the speeches, Pahlavi walked through the historic grounds and laid a wreath to honor the millions of Holocaust victims, reinforcing his calls throughout the conference for global vigilance, solidarity, and moral leadership in the face of modern extremism.