Theo Franken, the Minister of Defense of Belgium, announced on Friday, November 6, at the reception of Prince Reza Pahlavi at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium in Brussels, that the Islamic Republic tried to prevent his speech and warned that holding this meeting would have serious consequences.
Franken said that Tehran's opposition to this program shows that the Islamic Republic is concerned about the message of Prince Reza Pahlavi and is trying to limit the freedom of dialogue and research even outside its borders.
Referring to the importance of developments in the Middle East and the impact of the conflict between the United States and the Islamic Republic on the economic and security interests of Belgium, the Minister of Defense of Belgium said that the views of Prince Reza Pahlavi can help to understand the future of the region.
He presented Prince Reza Pahlavi as one of the main opposition figures of the Islamic Republic and said that he supports the establishment of a government based on the right of the people to determine their political system through free and fair elections. At the end of his speech, Franken read a verse by Hafez, pointed to the hope of the Iranian people to achieve freedom and a better future, and congratulated Prince Reza Pahlavi.