Reza Pahlavi steals the show at CPAC

His supporters treated the exiled leader with a fervor similar to that which President Donald Trump would have received if he had attended the annual gathering. 

Hours before Pahlavi addressed the crowd, his supporters, many of whom were sporting the Iranian flag, gathered at the Gaylord Texan, where they chanted in his favor. Mere minutes before Pahlavi appeared onstage, security stopped allowing attendees into the main stage, claiming the room had reached capacity. 

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Pahlavi used his 28-minute speech to paint a vision of a free Iran that is no longer a terrorist threat to the U.S. or the rest of the free world. He also used his speech to make the case to become the next leader of Iran, to the delight of the crowd. 

“Across Iran and throughout the diaspora, millions of Iranians have called on me to lead the transition