Toronto Hosts Cyrus the Great Commemoration Conference, Iranians and National Responsibility

Prince Reza Pahlavi called on Iranians to safeguard freedom and national identity at a conference commemorating Cyrus the Great.

On Friday, October 24, 2025, corresponding to November 2, a grand conference commemorating Cyrus the Great was held in Toronto, Canada. This cultural and historical event was attended by prominent figures and members of the Iranian diaspora community and featured a series of speeches and artistic programs.

Prince Reza Pahlavi delivered an address at the ceremony, with the main thrust of his message emphasizing the importance of Cyrus the Great’s legacy, the values of freedom and tolerance, and the responsibility of being Iranian. While recalling Iran’s glorious history and the nation’s achievements in various uprisings, the prince called on Iranians to preserve dignity, freedom, and national identity and warned about the current situation of the country.

His speech received extensive coverage on social media and outlets associated with the Iranian diaspora community and was viewed as a call to safeguard Iran and take action for the country’s future.

Prince Pahlavi began his remarks at the conference as follows:

“The name of Cyrus the Great still brings honor to the Iranian nation in the world. He is a reminder of Iran’s glory, even in a time when the dark shadow of an anti-Iranian regime has darkened our homeland. But Cyrus is not merely a historical monument and pride; he is a messenger of a responsibility that rests upon our shoulders, and I am here today to remind you of this responsibility and to emphasize its necessity and urgency: the salvation and reclamation of Iran from those who have turned it into a garrison of their ethno-nationalism and ignorance, and from that soil which, more than 2,500 years ago, was a cradle of justice, they have scattered injustice to the world.

It is no wonder that the Islamic Republic fears the name of Cyrus; for Cyrus is a reminder of everything that this regime is not: Iranianness, humanity, freedom, and tolerance.”

He continued: “But unlike the Islamic regime, we, the Iranian nation, are heirs to Cyrus’s path. We seek power not for domination, but for order and justice. When Cyrus was in Babylon, he told his soldiers: ‘Walk slowly so you do not instill fear in the hearts of people.’ He was the first ruler who combined authority with clemency. He preserved and promoted freedom of belief and religious tolerance and taught us that politics can and must be united with truth, but not with deception. This is why the world today remembers Cyrus the Great kindly, and what is contained in his eternal charter has become the foundation of a human-centered and freedom-oriented modern world.”

The prince continued: “Fellow countrymen! Being Iranian is not merely a matter of an identification card, lineage, and nationality, but is also responsibility-creating:

Responsibility toward the present and future of the homeland, responsibility for preserving truth, responsibility for achieving and maintaining freedom,
responsibility for upholding the dignity and honor of every Iranian citizen, and responsibility for standing firm in the fight against darkness.

Today, the Iranian government in its entirety is occupied by Islamists, and time is against us. Every moment of delay carries a heavy price. The window of salvation for Iran is limited, and if lost, it may never open again. Now, in one of the darkest and most difficult chapters of Iran’s history, the question is no longer what should be done. The question is: if not now, then when? If not us, then who? And if we do not act today, what will become of Iran? Now is the time to expand small resistance groups and prepare for the final battle.

Nations become great when they determine their own destiny with their own hands, not when others decide for them. The Iranian nation must be the decision-maker of its own fate. Our land is worthy of glory and freedom, and it is our responsibility to reclaim Iran from this corrupt and demonic regime.”

Reza Pahlavi also emphasized: “We are a great nation and have demonstrated this repeatedly: when we launched our national uprising with the cry ‘We will reclaim Iran.’ But this struggle, which in December 2017, in November 2019, and in the 2022 uprising, achieved valuable results through the sacrifice of the nation’s eternal children, has not yet ended. The end of this struggle is the day when Iran is freed from the clutches of the Islamic Republic and national sovereignty is returned to the people.

The day our nation is free, the world will see a different Iran: an Iran whose resources are not used for exporting hatred and terrorism, but for peace pacts and cooperation. An Iran that elevates the ‘Abraham Accords’ to the Cyrus Accords and reconciles the Middle East with tolerance and wisdom, as Cyrus the Great once did.

Then the echo of Cyrus’s words will resound again in the sphere of history: ‘I am Cyrus, king of the world, king of Anshan, son of Cambyses. The great gods have delivered all lands into my hands, and I have caused this land to dwell in peace.'”

Herodotus, the Greek historian, writes that Iranians called Cyrus “father” because of his kindness and justice, and in November 2016, the children of Cyrus gathered in Pasargadae from all corners of Iran and cried out: ‘Iran is our homeland, Cyrus is our father!’

The prince warned and added: “But we will not be worthy children of his if we take our responsibility lightly. Cyrus calls upon us: Rise up, reclaim Iran from the occupying demon. Bind the name of Iran once again with peace and freedom, and restore glory and grandeur to the homeland, before it is too late, before Iran is lost.

Iran eternal.”