ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Reza Pahlavi's Berlin visit criticized as absurd circus

opinion-review · 2026-04-25

Behzad Karim Khani critiques Reza Pahlavi's visit to Berlin, arguing that those who saw the Shah's son as a serious alternative for Iran's future have fallen for an absurd narrative. Khani writes with respect for Iranians who, after January's events, saw no other hope and grasped at Pahlavi as a last straw, but also with contempt for diaspora Iranians who failed to scrutinize the 'plastic prince's' program and the risks of his failure.

Key facts

  • Reza Pahlavi visited Berlin
  • Behzad Karim Khani wrote a critical article about the visit
  • The article appears in der Freitag
  • Khani expresses respect for Iranians who saw Pahlavi as a last hope
  • Khani expresses contempt for diaspora Iranians who did not question Pahlavi's program
  • The article refers to events in January in Iran
  • Pahlavi is described as a 'plastic prince' and 'circus prince'
  • The visit is characterized as an absurd narrative

Entities

Institutions

  • der Freitag

Locations

  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • Iran

Sources