The Richard Nixon Foundation presented on Tuesday, Oct. 22, its Architect of Peace Award to His Imperial Highness Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Mohammad Reza Shah of Iran, who the former president visited in a historic 1972 trip to Iran.
Nixon was the first American president to visit Iran in more than a dozen years when he made the stop after a visit to Moscow. He also visited the Shah later after his exile, and, as Pahlavi warmly remembered Tuesday, attended his father’s funeral in Eqypt.
Reza Pahlavi, third from left, receives the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award during a ceremony at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. Also pictured from left are Lynn Chen-Zhang, Charlie Zhang, Yasmine Pahlavi, Jim Byron, president of the Richard Nixon Foundation, Nikan Khatibi and Pharmis Khatibi. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Guests arrive for Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award ceremony at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
The Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Reza Pahlavi acknowledges those attending the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award ceremony at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. Yasmine Pahlavi is at right. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Reza Pahlavi greets guests as he arrives for the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award ceremony at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Reza Pahlavi thanks guests after being awarded the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Nikan Khatibi invites Reza Pahlavi to the stage to receive the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award during a ceremony at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
A guest attends the ceremony awarding the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award to Reza Pahlavi in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Reza Pahlavi delivers remarks during the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award ceremony at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
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Reza Pahlavi, third from left, receives the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award during a ceremony at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. Also pictured from left are Lynn Chen-Zhang, Charlie Zhang, Yasmine Pahlavi, Jim Byron, president of the Richard Nixon Foundation, Nikan Khatibi and Pharmis Khatibi. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Pahlavi spoke of Nixon’s loyalty to his father over the years, saying he “stood as a trusted ally and a steadfast friend.”
The exiled crown prince spoke to a large audience at the dinner held in the Nixon Library’s replica East Room.
The Architect of Peace Award was established in 1995 shortly after Nixon’s death “to honor individuals who embody his lifelong goal of shaping a more peaceful world,” Nixon officials said. “HIH Reza Pahlavi has been an advocate for democracy, human rights and religious freedom in Iran.”
Previous recipients include presidents Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush as well as various political leaders such as Sens. Joe Lieberman and John McCain, Alan Greenspan, Donald Rumsfeld, Henry Kissinger and several ambassadors. George W. Bush received the honor earlier this year when he visited the presidential library.
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