Prince Reza Pahlavi in Belgian parliament: secure internet and a global network of MPs

On Friday 6 November 2026, the third day of his visit to Belgium, Prince Reza Pahlavi visited the country's parliament and held talks with a number of MPs and Belgian government ministers. Prince Reza Pahlavi's press office said he also gave interviews to several international media outlets the same day.

According to his press office, the meetings focused on four points: Europe's practical support for the people of Iran, above all secure and lasting access to the internet; building an international network of members of parliaments around the world to back Iranians' struggle for freedom; the Islamic Republic's human rights violations; and the opportunities for future cooperation between a free and democratic Iran and other countries, including Belgium.

Internet and a parliamentary network

The call for secure internet comes after months in which the Islamic Republic has repeatedly restricted or cut Iranians' access to the internet. Prince Reza Pahlavi had earlier named action for a free internet as one of his main demands of the European Union at the European Parliament. The proposed network of MPs in different countries would bring the scattered support of European politicians for the people of Iran into one shared structure.

Background to the Belgian visit

Georges-Louis Bouchez, leader of the liberal MR party, who hosted the Prince in parliament, said after the meeting that the Islamic Republic is not a legitimate diplomatic partner and that the policy of appeasement must end (DIAR report). Before that, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken had said the Islamic Republic tried to stop the Prince's speech at the Royal Military Academy with threats (DIAR report).

The Brussels visit ends one day before the Friedrich Naumann Foundation's Freedom Prize ceremony in Frankfurt, a prize awarded to the Iranian people that Prince Reza Pahlavi accepts in trust.

In the Belgian parliament, Prince Reza Pahlavi called for secure internet for Iranians and a global network of MPs supporting Iran's freedom.