Prince Reza Pahlavi's Message on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11

In a message marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Prince Reza Pahlavi recalled the candles Iranians lit in the streets of Tehran for the American victims, and emphasized that the peoples of Iran and America have never been enemies.

Full Text of the Message

Twenty-five years ago, in the days after 9/11, Iranians filled Tehran's squares with candles for the American dead, watched by the same security forces that still oppress them today.

While global news networks were broadcasting shocking footage of celebrations in the Middle East region, the people of Iran stood as a profound, solitary exception of human empathy for Americans. The regime chanted death. Our people offered light. Iranians and Americans have never been enemies. We share one common enemy: the Islamic fanaticism that murdered the 2,977, and that has held my country hostage for 47 years. We also share a fundamental common value: liberty. Liberty is the cornerstone on which America is built and what Iranians are fighting for today.