Iran’s exiled queen and crown prince to be honored by Nixon Foundation

Iran’s exiled Queen, Farah Pahlavi, and her son, Prince Reza Pahlavi, will be honored as recipients of the Architect of Peace Award, the Richard Nixon Foundation has announced.

The foundation, in a statement on its website, highlighted that both the Queen, who has been in exile since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the Crown Prince, stand as "powerful symbols of opposition to the terrorist theocratic regime now ruling Iran."

It further underscored their relentless dedication over the past four decades, noting that "they have each devoted more than 40 years to championing religious freedom in Iran, advocating for a democratic form of government backed by popular vote, and bringing attention to myriad ongoing human rights abuses in Iran."

The statement also recognized the long-standing relationship between Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and President Richard Nixon, a bond that began in 1953.

The foundation's website elaborated that "the late Shah, who ruled Iran from 1953 to 1979, was a strong ally of the United States and a bulwark in the Cold War with the Soviet Union." It further detailed how the young Vice President Nixon and the young Shah first met in 1953, forming a close personal relationship that spanned nearly three decades.

Recalling Nixon's reflections in a 1983 interview, the statement quoted him as saying, "I knew the Shah better than any world leader I had met over the past 37 years of public life," and added that Nixon found the Shah to be "a very sensitive man, a very intelligent man, one who understood the world as well as any leader that I had met."

The Shah always faced both domestic and international opposition by left-leaning individuals and groups, who accused him of being too close to the United States at a time when there was a global ideological and military confrontation with the Soviet Union.

Established in 1995, shortly after the passing of President Nixon, the Architect of Peace Award was created to honor those who exemplify his enduring vision of fostering a more peaceful world.

Over the years, this distinguished award has been bestowed upon a notable array of individuals, including former Presidents Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush; former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Mike Pompeo; Senators Elizabeth Dole, Joe Lieberman, and John McCain; and Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg, as well as Robert C. O’Brien.