Reza Pahlavi splashed with red liquid after Berlin news conference

# Reza Pahlavi splashed with red liquid after Berlin news conference

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was splashed with a red liquid in Berlin on Thursday as he left Germany’s federal press conference building after criticizing the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to The Associated Press.

Pahlavi appeared to be unharmed. AP reported that the liquid covered the back of his blazer and neck, but that he waved to supporters and then got into a car that drove away. Police said the liquid appeared to be tomato juice, and the alleged perpetrator was detained immediately.

The incident happened outside the building shortly after Pahlavi finished speaking to reporters. He has been living in exile for nearly 50 years and continues to present himself as a possible figure in Iran’s future, though the report notes that his support inside the country is uncertain. The AP said supporters gathered nearby, while Pahlavi was not invited to meet government officials during the Berlin visit.

Pahlavi’s comments in Berlin focused on the ceasefire and diplomacy. He argued that the agreement assumes a change in the Iranian government’s behavior that he does not expect to see. He said diplomacy should be given a chance, but that it has already been given enough chance, according to the report.

The AP also said Pahlavi used the appearance to call on Europeans to do more for people in Iran fighting for democracy, and that he raised claims about political executions and death sentences. Those claims were part of his political message at the press conference, but the supplied evidence does not independently verify them, so they should be treated as his assertions rather than settled fact.

The Berlin incident is notable mainly because it happened in a highly visible political setting. Pahlavi is a symbolic opposition figure with a long history of trying to shape debate over Iran’s future, and the liquid attack briefly interrupted that effort without causing injury.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz later released a statement welcoming the ceasefire extension and saying it created an opportunity for diplomatic negotiations in Islamabad. That wider diplomatic backdrop helps explain why Pahlavi’s remarks drew attention, and why a small, non-lethal protest incident became part of a larger political moment.

The episode did not change the political balance around Iran, but it did show how contested Pahlavi remains even in exile. His appearance in Berlin drew both supporters and a hostile response, underscoring the tensions that continue to surround debates over Iran’s future leadership.