‘You can’t reform a snake’

by DAVID FLINT – EXILED Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi last week delivered a message that resonated: “You cannot reform a snake. Venom is in its DNA.” 

This is a truth which escaped all American presidents between Jimmy Carter down to Joe Biden; with exception of only Ronald Reagan – the architect of “Peace Through Strength”. 

The point is the Iranian people are not choosing a US appointee; they are choosing the path of prosperity over the path of a death cult. Pahlavi has bypassed the puppet stigma. He is not being installed by the US.

The atmosphere at CPAC 2026 in Grapevine (Dallas), Texas – the annual convention of the MAGA flagbearers – was not merely that of a political conference; it was the staging ground for a sovereign restoration.

On Saturday, March 28, the Crown Prince took the stage to a fervour usually reserved for Donald Trump himself.

VENOMOUS

Amidst a sea of Iranian flags and MIGA (Make Iran Great Again) banners, the Crown Prince delivered his “venomous snake” message.

Once enunciated, the truth of his insightful comment was widely acknowledged.

Unfortunately, most recent US presidents have failed to understand this despite the fact that the regularly declared mission of the Islamic Republic within the Moscow-Beijing-Pyongyang Axis of Evil could not have been clearer: the ultimate destruction of both Israel and the USA.

Meanwhile, the #MIGA hashtag has since gone viral across social media, becoming the digital rallying cry for a movement that seeks to tether the fate of a free Iran to the “America First” momentum.

This “snake” doctrine is a direct reflection of the wisdom of Donald Trump. It marks a complete departure from the historical failures of the American “appeasement loop”.

Where Jimmy Carter stood paralysed in 1979 – falling for the empty promises of a “holy man” allowed to establish his theocratic court at Neauphle-le-Château near Paris by Giscard d’Estaing.

While Western leaders – and the Obama and Biden administrations – were, despite all the evidence, seduced by the illusion of “moderate” mullahs, Trump and his administration have refused to play that game.

They recognise that the theocracy does not operate on the logic of a Westphalian State, but on the doctrine of Taqiyya – where lying is not only permitted but a sanctioned tool of survival.

As The Jerusalem Post noted in its coverage of the speech, Pahlavi’s refusal to accept a “partial settlement” marks the end of an era where the West believed it could buy peace with those who believe lying is legitimate.

One particular key to this transition is Richard Grenell, Trump’s “diplomatic enforcer”.

As the Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, Grenell is the man Trump trusts to handle the “impossible” files – bridging the gap between the White House and the Crown Prince as the architect of the “Maximum Replacement” strategy.

His role is to ensure that while the President finishes the job kinetically, the political software is ready to boot.

Grenell’s presence at CPAC signals that the US is not looking for a reformist compromise, but a total sovereign reboot.

The reception in Texas proved that the Crown Prince is not a Washington nominee, but the emerging leader of a nation in rebirth.

By adopting the MIGA mantle, Pahlavi has bypassed the puppet stigma. He is not being installed by the US; he is being called back by a domestic coalition.

As South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo (29/3) highlighted in its recent report, Pahlavi’s comparison is stark: “Iran should have become the South Korea of the Middle East, but it has become North Korea.”

An earlier report on March 22, 2026, had warned of the regime’s desperate pivot toward Pyongyang.

The point is the Iranian people are not choosing a US appointee; they are choosing the path of prosperity over the path of a death cult.

EVIL

Stabilisation with the Crown Prince will mean that Iran will no longer be unwillingly embedded as the world purveyor of terrorism and a partner in the Axis of Evil.

The financial engine of this rebirth is the Iran Reconstruction Fund, currently sitting at approximately $120b.

This fund was consolidated by President Trump through a series of sovereign decrees. He successfully pressured allies to move previously frozen Iranian oil revenues into a single, US-managed account.

This fund is not a gift; it is a Sovereign Escrow. The promise to the Artesh (the regular army) is clear: the moment the National Salvation Council is recognised, the thaw begins.

This ensures that civil servants and soldiers are paid on Day 1, avoiding the State-collapse errors seen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pahlavi’s “Prosperity Project” is surgically designed to maintain stability. Unlike the de-Baathification that hollowed out Iraq, Pahlavi is calling for the professional, 350,000-strong national military to serve as the backbone of the new State.

The regime’s praetorian guard, the IRGC will be fully dissolved, but non-ideological personnel are invited to join the transition if they do not have blood on their hands.

Through the efforts of Mercedes Schlapp (Senior Fellow at CPAC), the “MAGA vs Mullah Madness” sessions have unified the conservative base behind this vision, framing the return as a humanitarian liberation.

As the final notes of the Crown Prince’s speech faded, the visual stage in Grapevine provided the definitive image of the new era.

Flanking the podium were the Stars & Stripes and the Lion & Sun flag – the tricolour of a pre-1979 Iran, its golden lion wielding a sword against a rising sun.

In the halls of the convention centre, attendees walked with this historic Iranian flag tied around their shoulders like capes, intermingling with those in “Persians for Trump” shirts.

This is no longer a vision of two separate nations; it is a unified front where the American dream of freedom and the Persian dream of rebirth have finally found a shared landing strip.PC

David Flint

CPAC: Make Iran Great Again

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: courtesy David Flint. Images in this article are used under Fair Use guidelines.
RE-PUBLISHED: This article was originally published by The Spectator Australia on March 30, 2026. Re-used with express permission of the author.

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