Overview
- Pahlavi, who held a Berlin press conference and met Bundestag members including Armin Laschet on Thursday, was not received by the federal government after a spokesman said there was no reason to seek talks.
- After the event, a man threw a red liquid at Pahlavi outside the press venue and police made an arrest, with photos showing the substance on his shoulder and neck.
- Pro- and anti-Pahlavi rallies clustered around the Reichstag drew hundreds, and Berlin police deployed about 800 officers in the government district.
- German-Iranian groups and politicians from the Left and Greens, joined by an open letter from 21 former officials and experts, warned that giving him a platform risks legitimizing an authoritarian past and deepening rifts in the opposition.
- Supporters present him as a key opposition figure, yet his actual backing inside Iran remains unclear and his support for Israel and for external military strikes has driven sharp criticism.