Global rallies draw over a million in support of Iran protests

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The Toronto and Los Angeles rallies of Iranians each drew 350,000 people, according to the two cities’ police.

US chief negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have told President Donald Trump that history shows it is difficult, if not impossible, to reach a good deal with Iran, Axios reported citing a US official.

In their recent meeting in Washington DC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump it is impossible to make a good deal with Iran and claimed that even if a deal is signed, Iran will not abide by it, the report said citing a US official.

Trump told Netanyahu he thinks there is a chance to reach a deal with Iran, the official said.

"We'll see if it's possible. Let's give it a shot", Trump said, according to the US official.

Drone footage from Los Angeles captures a massive rally of tens of thousands of Iranians who gathered on Saturday in response to a call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, expressing solidarity with protesters back home and urging greater international support.

Tens of thousands of Iranians attended a massive rally in Toronto on Saturday, heeding a call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, to express solidarity with protesters back home.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on Saturday Ottawa wants to see a regime change in Iran.

“We will not open diplomatic relationships with Iran unless there is a regime change. Period,” she told The Globe and Mail in Germany.

"I serve under a president that's willing to meet with anybody. I'm pretty confident in saying that if the Ayatollah said tomorrow he wanted to meet with President Trump, the president would meet him," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Bloomberg.

"Not because he agrees with the Ayatollah, but because he thinks that's the way you solve problems in the world."

There is "zero chance" that Iran agrees to anything the US proposes or vice versa,” Axios reported citing a US official.

US chief negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told Trump that history shows it is difficult, if not impossible, to reach a good deal with Iran, the report said citing another US official.

Iranians chanted slogans from their homes and rooftops against the Islamic Republic in response to a call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

An eyewitness from Mehrshahr, Karaj, told Iran International that government forces responded by opening fire at their windows.

"It is a time of choosing. I choose the Iranian people over the murderous ayatollah. It is time for him to go," Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham told a massive crowd of Iranian protesters in Munich as he waved the pre-1979 Lion and Sun flag of Iran.

"Liberation is at hand. To the people of the world: Speak up. Speak loudly. This is a moment of choosing. This is a moment of change. It's been a moment. I've been dreaming of a free Iran. A road that doesn't want the darkness. But embraces the light," he said.

"To the American people. The Iranian people will be your friend. They will be your ally. Stand with the Iranian people. They deserve their freedom to the American people. Remember when we fought for our freedom? Do you remember when we wanted to be independent and free?"

X has removed the verified badges of several Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, top security official Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei.

The state-run newspaper Tehran Times has also lost its badge.

Around 250,000 people demonstrated in Munich on Saturday against Iran’s government, as the Munich Security Conference was being held, according to the local police and the Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), the public-service radio and television broadcaster for the German state of Bavaria.

Iranians living in Newcastle took to the streets in solidarity with the uprising back home, videos received by Iran International show.

A group of Iranians gathered in Amsterdam on Saturday in solidarity with the protesters inside the country.

Participants chanted slogans including, “We swear by the blood of our comrades, we will stand until the end.”

Debate in Europe over Iran’s future has intensified and Iranians’ rally in Munich could influence decision-making by European leaders, a German lawmaker said at the large gathering of Iranians in Munich.

Bundestag member Reza Asghari said such demonstrations send a signal that can shape Europe’s approach and affect the stance of global leaders.

Germany’s parliament, he added, had adopted a resolution addressing the killing of people in Iran, and that an overwhelming majority of lawmakers, along with the chancellor, condemned the abuses.

The United Nations has been powerless to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, arguing that the US had to step in to address the issue.

“It was powerless to constrain the nuclear program of radical Shia clerics in Tehran. That required 14 bombs dropped with precision from American B-2 bombers,” he said at the Munich Security Conference.

The UN has also played virtually no role on other major crises, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and in addressing security threats from Venezuela, he added.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that people in Iran need today what Ukrainians needed at the onset of Russia’s war on the country, urging the international community to speed up its support for Iranians.

“Today, the people of Iran expect from the world what we in Ukraine needed on February 24th (2022), when the Russian invasion began: unity, determination, and speed," he said at the Munich Security Conference. “And regimes like the one in Iran must not be given time. When they have time, they only kill more. They must be stopped immediately. And this is exactly what should have happened with the Ayatollah after all the wars his regime unleashed and all the lives it took.”

He further slammed the Iranian government sales of Shahed drones to Russia to target Ukrainian people and infrastructure, calling for an end to the government in Iran.

“The Iranian regime has already done and can still do more harm than many other regimes could do in the century. And yet this regime still exists, and it hopes to survive everything, even this crisis,” the Ukrainian president said.

The first court session was held for Ehsan Hosseinipour Hessarloo, Matin Mohammadi and Erfan Amiri, three detained protesters facing charges including arson and murder, Mizan, a news agency affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, reported on Saturday.

The three are accused of setting fire to a mosque in Pakdasht and of involvement in a killing, according to the report.

The judiciary also listed charges of “assembly and collusion with the intention of acting against [national] security,” alleging that the defendants responded to calls on social media platforms, including from the US President Donald Trump and Israel.

A video shows Iranians at the rally in Munich for solidarity with the national protests raising a 50-meter Lion and Sun flag with the help of two cranes.

Maintaining the status quo in Iran risks further migration to Europe and deprives European countries of energy and economic opportunities, Prince Reza Pahlavi said.

“We have now a possibility of even more migration to Europe as a result of any continuation of the status quo,” he said, arguing that a democratic Iran could become a reliable energy supplier and strategic partner.

“A free Iran that would be able to supply Europe with its energy needs would certainly be an alternative to the only source that you have right now,” he added, referring to Europe’s reliance on Russia.

Pahlavi said political change in Iran would create a “win-win” outcome, opening the door to trade and investment while strengthening regional stability.

He also stressed that his objective is not to seek office. “I’m not running for office. I’m not running for a job. I’m not seeking a power or a title,” he said. “The day that happens, I consider that the end of my political mission in life,” referring to the establishment of an elected democratic government in Iran.

Further restricting the Islamic Republic’s access to revenue would weaken its ability to sustain its security forces and prolong its rule, Iran's exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Saturday on the sidelines of Munich Press Conference.

“One way to weaken the regime even further is to impose more restrictions so that their source of revenue is cut off so they can no longer sustain their own elements,” he said, arguing that financial pressure would accelerate its collapse.

Pahlavi described the government as fragile and said it would attempt to circumvent sanctions, adding that monitoring enforcement is the responsibility of the international community.

“Any source of revenue to the regime will contribute to its ability to sustain itself a little bit longer, but at the end it will fall,” he said, urging faster action to limit what he called the negative regional consequences of its continued existence.

Instability across the Middle East is rooted in radical Islamist movements, including forces linked to Tehran, Prince Reza Pahlavi argued and said Iran’s current leadership poses a threat both at home and beyond its borders.

“This regime has only one purpose which is to export this ideology. It is a threat to its own people,” he said, adding that neighboring countries understand the consequences of its policies.

A future Iranian government committed to peaceful relations, Pahlavi said, would be welcomed in the region. “The only way to eliminate all the problems at once is for this regime to be no longer there and instead have a country where its people… will prove that unlike this regime, they are peacemakers and they believe in stability first and foremost,” he said.

Democracy is about inclusion, not eliminating options in advance, exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said at a press conference on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, arguing that Iran’s future political system should be decided by voters rather than predetermined by political factions.

“Democracy is not about exclusion, it’s about inclusion, unless you are not in conformity with democratic principles,” Pahlavi said, adding that both republics and constitutional monarchies can succeed or fail depending on how they are practiced.

Responding to criticism that he does not represent all Iranians, Pahlavi said he does not claim unanimous support but argued that his name has been widely chanted inside Iran. “I’m not saying that I have 100% of people on my side. Of course, I have my enemies,” he said.

He said groups that do not adhere to his four stated principles, including separatists, pro-regime reformists and Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), are not part of his coalition. However, he described his supporters as diverse, including republicans and monarchists, people across the political spectrum and representatives of ethnic and religious communities.

“My position is neutral towards the outcome,” he said, adding that Iranians should determine their preferred system “by the ballot box” in a free election whose results all sides respect.

Pahlavi also criticized the Islamic Republic’s electoral system, saying there are no genuine free elections in Iran and that presenting them as such is “a mockery of democracy.”

Iranians continue to resist despite a sweeping crackdown, Prince Reza Pahlavi said, warning that delays could cost more lives.

“When my compatriots came to the streets, they were only met with this brutal genocidal level, industrial level massacre,” Pahlavi said, adding that many were forced to retreat but “people are still out there chanting” in recent nights.

He said tens of thousands are imprisoned, and accused authorities of continuing arrests, threats and executions, including targeting hospital workers and nurses.

“The importance of strike to neutralize the regime forces of repression is the element that could get people back into the streets,” he said, arguing that negotiations with Iran would not yield results and that “every day that goes by, more people could die.”

Stabilizing the country and preventing chaos would be the top priorities in the first 100 days of a post-Islamic Republic transition, Prince Reza Pahlavi said, calling for broad participation and defections from within the system.

He said the immediate focus during a transition would be to “stabilize the country, stabilize the economy” and ensure security, arguing that encouraging “maximum defections” would help avoid the kind of collapse seen in Iraq after Saddam Hussein.

Those “criminally responsible” with “the blood of people on their hands” would face accountability in court, he added.

Millions of Iranians have chanted his name and called for his return, exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, describing the calls as both humbling and a responsibility.

“Millions of Iranians chanted my name and called for my return. That humbles me and gives me a lot of responsibility at the same time to answer their call and to be the leader of this transition as they have asked for,” he said at a press conference.

Pahlavi added that anyone who agrees with “those four core principles, irrespective of their political affiliation or viewpoints, can be part of this national struggle for freedom.”

He outlined a roadmap in which a transitional government would prepare the ground for a constitutional assembly elected by Iranians to determine the country’s future system. “At the end of this process, once the constitution is approved and the nation votes in a referendum to adopt it, we will have the election of the first new parliament and the first new government of that future democracy,” he said, adding that the temporary government would then hand over power to elected officials.

Aerial images sent to Iran International show a large gathering of Iranians in Melbourne, Australia, protesting against the Islamic Republic and expressing support for Prince Reza Pahlavi.

Canada imposed new sanctions on seven individuals under its Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced on Saturday.

“The imposition of these sanctions sends a clear message that Canada will not tolerate the Iranian regime’s attempts to intimidate, harm or silence voices inside or outside Iran,” Anand said.

The Canadian government said those designated are linked to Iranian state bodies responsible for “intimidation, violence and transnational repression” targeting dissidents and human rights defenders.

Iran’s use of proxy agents and criminal networks to silence critics, “including through harassment, surveillance and planned acts of violence in Europe and North America,” has raised serious concerns, the statement said.

Canada will “continue to take concrete action to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities” and stand with Iranians seeking freedom and respect for their rights, Anand added.

Video sent to Iran International shows Iranians gathering in Munich on Saturday for a global solidarity event with Iran’s protests.

Berlin illuminated the Brandenburg Gate with the message “Freiheit für Iran / Freedom for Iran” in a show of solidarity with people in Iran.

The official X account of the governing mayor of Berlin said the projection was intended to express support for Iranians who have taken to the streets against violence and in support of fundamental rights.

The lighting of the landmark comes amid continued international reactions to developments in Iran.

Iranians in Sydney held a march on Saturday following a call by exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi and chanting “Javid Shah,” meaning “Long live the Shah.” Other protests were also held in Adelaide and Tasmania.

Videos sent to Iran International show Iranians living in New Zealand gathering in Auckland on Saturday, in response to a call by exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi to protest against the Islamic Republic. A similar protest was also held in Wellington.

Participants chanted “The Revolutionary Guards are terrorists” during the rally.

The bodies of 50 women killed during protests remain unidentified in Kahrizak morgue near Tehran, a member of parliament’s social committee said on Saturday.

“These bodies have not yet been identified due to a lack of documentation or because families have not come forward,” Mohammad Seraj told local media.

Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the judiciary, later denied the presence of 50 unidentified women’s bodies in Kahrizak, citing the Legal Medicine Organization as saying that only “seven bodies” were unidentified and that all were men.

The chief of the US Navy warned on Friday against extending the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, as the carrier is redirected from the Caribbean to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran, The War Zone reported.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle has previously said he would push back against prolonged deployments, warning of severe strain on sailors, disruption to family life, and maintenance risks for the first-in-class ship.

The Ford, deployed since June 2025 and previously operating in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, is now expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region later this month, significantly boosting US naval power as President Donald Trump presses Tehran over its nuclear program.

The Pentagon is deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Middle East as Washington steps up pressure on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials.

The carrier strike group will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships already in the region, significantly boosting US naval firepower.

The move comes as President Donald Trump presses Tehran to make concessions over its nuclear program while warning of “very steep” consequences if talks fail.