Zelensky meets exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi
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President Volodymyr Zelensky met exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi in Paris on March 13 to discuss the U.S.-Iran war.
"The regime's hierarchy has indeed already suffered significant losses, and it is crucial that the Iranian regime gains nothing from this and that the people of Iran have greater protection for their lives and more opportunities to determine their own fate," Zelensky said in a post to X afterwards.
Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed following Israeli-U.S. strikes, Iranian state media confirmed on March 1. The U.S. and Israel first began joint strikes on Iran in the early hours of Feb. 28.
The former Supreme Leader's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been selected by Iran's Assembly of Experts to become the country's next supreme leader, Iranian state media announced on March 8.
The two discussed the current situation in the Middle East, and Pahlavi shared the "signals" he has received from within Iran, Zelensky noted.
"Ukraine truly wants to see a free Iran that will not cooperate with Russia or destabilize the Middle East, Europe, and the world. I am grateful to the Crown Prince for his clear assurances of support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our teams will remain in communication," Zelensky said.
Zelensky and Pahlavi previously met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 13 amid widespread anti-government protests in Iran.
Pahlavi is the son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the country's last monarch overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
