Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi

'Iran Is My True and Only Home'

Part 2: 'Iran Has the Sovereign Right to a Civilian Nuclear Program'

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What roles are the Internet and the international media playing in this crisis?

Pahlavi: The regime's ban on coverage by international media, its treatment of reporters and draconian restrictions on their activities and maligning them as agents of imperialism is actually testimony to the effectiveness of these media.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you think the media retreated too quickly? Would you like to see journalists do more?

Pahlavi: First and foremost, they must expose human rights abuses in Iran. Second, by providing information, international media can give hope to a people whose rulers are trying desperately to keep them in the dark. You can help lift the black veil of censorship.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You have denied allegations that you have contacts with the CIA. Still, are you in touch with the US government in general?

Pahlavi: Part of my duty is to brief, whenever necessary, policy and decision-makers the world over. As such, I use various opportunities to inform such individuals and discuss Iranian matters with them.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You live in Maryland, but you still say it's a temporary situation. Where do you consider home?

Pahlavi: Anywhere in Iran. That is my true and only home.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you have greater hope today of someday returning to Iran than you did in the past?

Pahlavi: I always did! For me, it has never been a question of if, but rather when will I be able to return home.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: In which capacity would you like to return -- in a political one or as a private person?

Pahlavi: Once Iran is liberated, and my fellow compatriots are free to elect their leaders and decide on their democratic political system of choice, my foreseeable mission will be accomplished. From that day on, my role will be determined by my compatriots. I will thus serve them in whatever capacity they see fit.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you think Mir Hossein Mousavi would be any better or different than Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad?

Pahlavi: Mr. Ahmadinejad cheats, lies, steals and stuffs the ballot box. Unafraid of the threats of the supreme leader to shut up and accept fraud, Mr. Mousavi shows the courage to reclaim the ballot box for a fair and impartial recount. Of course there is a huge difference between the two. But you must understand his delicate position. Right now, in order to ensure the survival of the popular struggle, he cannot just say or do whatever he wants.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Should Iran be allowed to have its own nuclear program?

Pahlavi: Let me remind you that Iran was not denied the right to have a civilian nuclear program before the clerical regime's appearance. In fact, the very same countries who are today imposing sanctions on Iran were competing with each other in selling our country nuclear technology and reactors. Actually, no foreign government has actually said that Iran does not have the sovereign right to the technology and peaceful civilian use of it. The problem lies with the nature of the regime and its dubious intentions. The world has good reason to distrust a regime that has sponsored terrorism abroad while repressing its own society for years. Troubling statements emanating from some key individuals in leadership positions have added more fuel to the fire. My position is simple: As a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has the sovereign right to develop its own civilian nuclear program. But future democratic governments will have to examine the scope and feasibility of such programs in the context of our energy needs, while ensuring the full trust of the international community.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you think history has judged your father and his rule unfairly?

Pahlavi: History has yet to fully render its verdict on that period. For one thing, absence of public debate has made it impossible to gauge public sentiments and opinions on the matter. What I can tell you is that many Iranians, including the young generation who has never lived in that era, have a different account than what the regime, with its venomous propaganda, has attempted to fill their heads with.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But it's not just propaganda that has formed the ideas about your father.

Pahlavi: With the organizational and financial resources of an oil-rich revolutionary state devoted to the vilification of my father, I do not think any fair person can say that his friends and enemies have had equal access to the court of public opinion or pages of history. I do not expect a fair judgment until both sides have an equal say.

Interview conducted by Marc Pitzke.