“To be first in the Middle East is not enough. We must raise ourselves to the level of a great world power.”

— Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

As quoted in Asadollah Alam (1991), The Shah and I: The Confidential Diary of Iran's Royal Court, 1968-77, page 360
Attributed

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Mohammad Reza Pahlavi92

Shah of Iran 1919–1980

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“To be first in the Middle East is not enough. We must raise ourselves to the level of a great world power.”

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