Overview
- Munich police later put the turnout at roughly 200,000 for the Iran-focused march, after earlier reports via dpa cited at least 15,000, highlighting wide discrepancies in crowd estimates.
- The demonstration coincided with the Munich Security Conference, with protesters waving pre-1979 lion-and-sun flags and chanting for regime change and support for Reza Pahlavi.
- Pahlavi called for an end to the Islamic Republic and appealed directly to President Donald Trump to support Iranians, framing the day as a test of international resolve.
- Organizers cast the rally as part of a global day of action, with parallel marches reported or planned in Los Angeles, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne.
- The diaspora mobilization follows a lethal crackdown inside Iran, where casualty counts diverge sharply between the government’s 3,117 figure and human-rights tallies of about 7,000, as the U.S. sustains an expanded naval presence including a second carrier strike group.