Pahlavi reiterated what the American president had been saying about the Islamic republic. The man who would have been king (of kings), had things turned out differently, accused the ruling clergy of continued support of terrorism and maintaining confrontational behavior, both regionally and beyond.
He said that a lack of transparency on issues such as Iran's nuclear program, its continued repression of its citizenry, and a host of other issues, has rightfully led the world to the conclusion that, as such, this regime cannot be trusted. The Iranian people continue to suffer while the world ponders where all this might lead to.
Pahlavi lamented that while Iranians will go to the polls on March 14 to elect a new Majlis (parliament), "very little effort is underway to accurately describe the hoax and circus that is being passed on as 'elections' by the ruling clerics in Iran." He said that much emphasis was being made about the "free and fair" nature of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Pakistan, or the degree of irregularities in Kenya's much disputed presidential elections last month, but little, if any, was being said about Iran's elections.
"News is gradually surfacing that more than two-thirds of the more than 7,000 candidates, who have registered to contest 290 seats in the 'Islamic consultative parliament,' are likely to be 'disqualified.' And for a variety of reasons, but primarily based on the extent of their commitments to the tenets of the autocratic constitution, while there has been no attempt to try and apply the same standards that are being demanded of, say, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, to the ruling autocrats of Iran."
Pahlavi called the parliamentary elections "nothing but a sham." The Iranian people "know full well that, no matter who gets into the next Majlis, they are unlikely to truly represent their will, desire and vision for Iran." The next Majlis, predicts Pahlavi, "will continue to remain a mere pawn in the hands of the 'Supreme Leader' and his cohorts."
Turning to the subject of the National Intelligence Estimate, Pahlavi stated that, from his perspective, the worst option – the military option – has been firmly placed in context. As a consequence of the NIE, Pahlavi said: "There is no question that focus has once again been shifted to reliance on negotiations and diplomatic measures in attempting to resolve this matter."
While the United States has maintained that its military option has not been removed from the table, Pahlavi feels there is now a much more sober atmosphere that is most conscious about not allowing matters to get out of hand.
While this development has been a source of relief to many Iranians who were dreading the prospect of a catastrophic war, Pahlavi said that at the same time it has lowered morale among ordinary citizens looking for international moral support in their struggle for democracy and human rights. It has created, what Pahlavi calls, a false impression that the United States and its allies were caving in to the Islamist regime's pressures in places like Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan.