Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was splashed with a red liquid, believed to be tomato juice, on Thursday as he exited a building in Berlin in an attack captured on camera. A video showed the 65-year-old walking along a pavement, surrounded by his security team and others, when the liquid was thrown at him from behind.
Pahlavi, who is based in the United States, appeared unhurt despite the liquid covering the back of his blazer and neck. He waved to supporters before getting into a car that drove away. Police later confirmed the substance appeared to be tomato juice.
Incident outside press conference building
The incident occurred outside the federal press conference building in the German capital shortly after he had left a news briefing. During the briefing, he criticized the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The truce had been extended by US President Donald Trump amid uncertainty over a second round of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, where the first round of talks, held on April 11 and 12, ended in failure.
The suspected attacker, whose identity was not disclosed in line with German privacy laws, was detained at the scene.
Background on Reza Pahlavi
Pahlavi is the son of Iran's last shah, whose rule ended in 1979 when mass protests forced him from power, paving the way for the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Now in exile for nearly five decades, he has sought to position himself as a figure in Iran's future, though the extent of his support inside the country remains unclear.
The Islamic Republic has been in a war with the US and Israel following joint strikes by the allies against their common adversary on February 28. The conflict has since spread across the Middle East.
Pahlavi's stance on US-Iran ceasefire
Pahlavi, who did not meet any German government representatives during his visit to Berlin, argued that the ceasefire assumes Tehran's behavior would change and that its leadership would suddenly act as pragmatists. "I don't see that happening. I'm not saying diplomacy should not be given a chance, but I think it has been given enough chance," he said.
He is positioning himself for a potential return to power if Iran's Shiite theocracy collapses and has backed US-Israeli military intervention in the Middle East. In Berlin, Pahlavi urged European countries to do more to support Iranians pushing for democracy. He claimed that 19 political prisoners had been executed by Iranian authorities in the past two weeks, with another 20 sentenced to death. "Will the free world act, or watch the slaughter in silence?" he asked.
German chancellor's response
More than an hour after the incident, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement that the government welcomes the extension of the ceasefire. "This presents an important opportunity to resume diplomatic negotiations in Islamabad with the aim of securing peace and preventing further escalation," the statement read.
