Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Iranian Shah exiled in 1979 after the Islamic revolution, on Monday evening met with Israel’s Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and his wife Sarah in Yerushalayim.

Pahlavi attended a ceremony held at the National Holocaust Memorial and Museum, Yad Vashem, in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day during his historic visit to the Jewish state. He stood alongside Netanyahu and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, but did not deliver a speech.

However, the Crown Prince spoke with i24NEWS, saying that it was his “duty” to attend the event and honor the Holocaust victims.

“It’s a Biblical relationship that our two countries have had over centuries and today when we have the regime that denies the Holocaust has ever occurred it’s my duty to be here representing my fellow compatriots, to honor the victims of the Holocaust and pay my respects to this nation and its people,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, Pahlavi landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, where he was greeted by Israel’s Intelligence Minister Gila Gamaliel, who accompanied him to the ceremony in Yad Vashem.

“We appreciate the Crown Prince’s expression of solidarity with the citizens of Israel in the face of the severe terrorist attacks perpetrated by Iran, as well as his visit to Yad Vashem on the occasion of Holocaust Day in order to sympathize with the Jewish people, in contrast to Iran’s rulers who deny the Holocaust and encourage anti-Semitism,” the minister said.

Pahlavi, in exile for 43 years, resides in the United States. He is a fierce opponent of the Iranian regime. –i24 News