Thousands rally for Iran regime change in cities around the world
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People wrapped in plastic bags lying on the ground, representing those who died in protests in Iran, during a demonstration in Los Angeles, California, on Jan 18.
PHOTO: AFP
Sanam Mahoozi, Jonathan Wolfe and Abdi Latif Dahir
MUNICH, Germany – Protesters demanding regime change in Iran converged on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb 14, a day after US President Donald Trump said a change in government would be the best outcome for a country reeling from deadly unrest.
Earlier in February, Mr Reza Pahlavi, the son of the country’s deposed shah and an opposition figure in exile, had encouraged protesters to take to the streets on Feb 14 to put pressure on the Iranian government. Speaking at the Munich conference on Feb 13, Mr Pahlavi renewed an appeal for American intervention in Iran.
Large demonstrations also took place in other cities across the globe, including Melbourne, Athens, Tokyo and London.
Nuclear talks between the United States and Iran were expected to resume on Feb 17 in Geneva, according to two US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.
Mr Trump has ordered warships to the Persian Gulf, signalling readiness for a potential strike should the negotiations collapse.
Around 200,000 people attended the protest in Munich, according to Ms Tamara Djukaric, a spokeswoman for the city’s police, where Mr Pahlavi, along with US Senator Lindsey Graham, addressed the crowd.
Many demonstrators waved a version of the Iranian flag that bears a lion-and-sun motif, which was in use before the 1979 revolution that ousted the shah.
Some carried images of Mr Pahlavi and chanted phrases like “Regime change in Iran”, while others wore red baseball caps emblazoned with the phrase “Make Iran Great Again”, a reference to the hats worn by supporters of Mr Trump.
During a visit on Feb 13 to troops in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Mr Trump said that replacing Iran’s current leadership would be “the best thing that could happen”, adding that “for 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking”.
The demonstrations across the globe came after weeks of protests in Iran that began in late December 2025 over economic issues and broadened into a nationwide movement challenging the country’s authoritarian clerical rulers. Security forces crushed those demonstrations with deadly force, killing thousands.
In London, a number of protesters took to the streets carrying photographs of family members or friends who they said were killed or detained during the recent unrest. Some staged mock killings, while others chanted slogans denouncing the government, including “Death to Khamenei”, a reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. NYTIMES
