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Persians at CPAC push for Reza Pahlavi as Tehran’s next leader amid Iran war

GRAPEVINE, Texas — Persians gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference had an urgent message for President Donald Trump: they want Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah, to be Tehran’s next leader.

“He's the only leader that the people in Iran are chanting his name,” said Maryam Salehi, 60, who attended the conference on Thursday. “They are only believing in him. And his father did great. Now he is even going to be better.”

Many Persians who spoke with the Washington Examiner were among the large crowd of supporters who fervently chanted support for Pahlavi and Trump at the annual CPAC gathering on Thursday.

The massive crowd chanting “Thank you, Trump” was eventually broken up by security.

But their message was clear: they were grateful to the U.S. president for launching the Iran war, and they hoped he would support Pahlavi.

“The reason we are here is first to thank Republicans, because Republicans have been standing next to us,” said Beneta Rameshk, who burst into tears as she spoke with the Washington Examiner.

She was also adamant that Pahlavi be Tehran’s next leader.

“I know that so many people say that he's not been in the country for many years, but I believe that he's been in a democratic country,” Rameshk said. “He has those elements that unite us around him. And then, as he said many times, he's going to be only a transitional leader. And then in the future, the people of Iran will decide who is going to lead the country.”

FIFA World Cup 2026 Last-Minute Sales Phase to start on 1 April

• Tickets will be made available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis

• Fourth and final ticket sales phase will remain open until the end of the tournament

• FIFA World Cup™ all-time attendance record of 3.5 million, set in 1994, on track to be surpassed this year

Iran’s soccer team holds schoolbags ahead of pre-World Cup match

BELEK, Turkey (Reuters) – Iran’s men’s national soccer team wore black armbands and held schoolbags as their anthem played ahead of a match in Turkey on Friday in what a team official said was a protest over the killing of schoolgirls on the first day of the Iran war.

Iran were playing a friendly against Nigeria in the resort town of Belek ahead of the World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada where their participation is in doubt over the conflict.

The men lined up holding pink and purple bags with ribbons on them – a reference to the attack on the Shajareh ​Tayyebeh School which Tehran says killed more than 175 people including children and teachers on the first day of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

“The players are holding the school bags close to their heart in remembrance of the 165 girls the Americans killed in an Iranian school,” a media official for the Iranian team told Reuters.

Amid US-Israel war, Iran football team trains in Turkiye before World Cup

Iran’s men’s football team have been training in southern Turkiye as they ⁠prepare for two ⁠upcoming friendly matches before the FIFA World Cup, where the squad are likely to attract heightened attention against the backdrop of the United States-Israel ⁠war on Iran.

Team Melli held a training session in Belek, a resort area near the Mediterranean city of Antalya, with tightly restricted media access as officials ⁠said they wanted to avoid distractions before the matches described as critical to their World Cup preparations.

Iran’s football federation is in discussions with world governing body FIFA about moving its World Cup matches to Mexico from the US due ‌to concerns over player safety, federation President Mehdi Taj said last week.

Iran’s camp has largely sought to keep a low public profile as the team builds towards the World Cup, where they are expected to face intense political and media scrutiny.

In Belek, no interviews with players or coaches were made available, and a team media representative said the squad were focused entirely ⁠on their immediate competitive programme.

Iran will play two matches ⁠in Antalya, against Nigeria on Friday and Costa Rica on Tuesday.

The friendlies were originally scheduled to take place in Jordan, but were moved to Turkiye following the outbreak of the war on Iran.

The ⁠players appeared relaxed during the session in sunny conditions, with staff and players at times chatting and joking.

Among those ⁠present was forward Mehdi Taremi, who has been ⁠in the spotlight in recent days after swapping shirts with an Israeli opponent while playing for his club Olympiacos in Greece.

Striker Sardar Azmoun was omitted from the squad after posting a picture on ‌his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Iranian media reported that Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, ‌had ‌been expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government.

ایران - نیجریه؛ آغاز دوباره تیم ملی برای حضور در جام جهانی ۲۰۲۶

تیم ملی فوتبال ایران کار خود را برای حضور در جام جهانی ۲۰۲۶ در سال جدید با دیدار با نیجریه آغاز خواهد کرد.

March 26 - 1:00 PM.  Gillette Stadium