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My Personal Impressions of a Leader: Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi For many years I have brought leaders to Auschwitz. I have stood in that terrible place with hundreds of presidents, ministers and parliamentarians. This week I want to share something more personal. I spent many hours with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and Princess Yasmine Pahlavi: at the press conference, side by side at dinner, and during the long walk through Auschwitz and Birkenau. From the first moment it was clear that he had not come for public relations, nor simply to fulfil an obligation. He came to learn and to understand. He asked about the details. He asked good questions. So did Princess Yasmine. I was deeply impressed by the man: his charisma, his wisdom and his clarity of speech. He is a strategist who thinks far ahead, a leader devoted to his people, and a brave man who takes real personal risks every single day. Above all, I was moved by his determination and by how much he cares. He believes that the great majority of Iranians want peace, brotherhood and reconciliation between peoples. I have met many leaders in my life, but few with such greatness of spirit. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is a great leader, with the vision, the moral courage and the dignity of a true statesman. There is a rare nobility of soul in him. He treats every person, whatever their rank, with the same respect. He is a man of great talent: he speaks with clarity and precision, he sees far ahead, and he understands both the history of his nation and the realities of today's world. His determination is unshakable. For decades he has carried the cause of a free Iran, at great personal risk, without ever losing hope or bending his principles. And above all, his heart belongs to his people. Everything he does comes from his deep care for them: for their suffering, their courage and their right to live in freedom and dignity. And for all his stature, I saw humility and modesty, in him and in his wife. More than once I saw tears in his eyes. He is a man of deep feeling, who cares about every human being. I hope with all my heart that the Iranian people will soon have such a leader. @PahlaviReza @PahlaviComms @EJAssociation

#FreeIran! Bayern steht zu den Bemühungen um Freiheit und Frieden des iranischen Volkes. Heute war Reza Pahlavi zu Gast in der Staatskanzlei – er ist Sohn des letzten Schahs von #Iran und Stimme der iranischen Opposition im Exil. Menschenrechte, Demokratie und insbesondere auch die Rechte der Frauen sind nicht verhandelbar. Alle Menschen im Iran sollen frei sein. Dazu muss der jahrzehntelange Terror des aktuellen Regimes endlich aufhören. Die Iraner sollen selbst und ohne Unterdrückung über ihre Zukunft entscheiden dürfen. Bayern zeigt dafür klare Haltung und Solidarität. Großen Respekt an die iranische Exil-Community, die unermüdlich für Freiheit und Demokratie in ihrer Heimat eintritt.

Thank you Minister President @Markus_Soeder for your support for the people of Iran and their democratic aspirations. Your solidarity in drawing the world’s attention to the massacre of tens of thousands of protestors is deeply appreciated. I was pleased to join you at the Bavarian State Chancery and am thankful for your clarity: in order to achieve stability in the Middle East and peace for Germany and the world, the Islamic Republic must go.