The US president has signaled that he is unwilling to support an Israel-aligned opposition figure to lead Iran in the face of regime change.
President of the United States Donald Trump Iran’s self-proclaimed crown prince has ruled out a meeting with Reza Pahlavi, suggesting Washington is unwilling to send a successor if Iran’s government collapses.
On Thursday, Trump called Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, who was deposed by the 1979 Islamic revolution, a “good guy.” However, Trump also mentioned that it would not be appropriate to meet him as the president.
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“I think we should let everybody go out there and see who emerges,” Trump told the Hugh Hewitt Show podcast. “I’m not sure that would be the right thing to do.”
A US-based Pahlavi who is close to him Relations with IsraelLeads the royalist faction of the fragmented Iranian opposition.
Trump’s comments indicated that the US did not support Pahlavi’s offer to “lead (a) transition” in administration in Iran if the current regime collapses.
The Iranian government is holding protests in many parts of the country.
Iranian officials Turn off access Pahlavi took to the internet on Thursday to crack down on protests as he called for more protests.
The US president had previously warned that the Iranian government would intervene if it targeted protesters. He renewed that threat on Thursday.
“They’re doing a lot of damage. And I’ve let them know that if they start killing people — which they do during their riots, they have a lot of riots — if they do that, we’re going to hit them hard,” Trump said.
The Iranian protests began last month in response to a growing economic crisis as the value of the local currency, the rial, fell amid a stranglehold on US sanctions.
Economy-focused demonstrations began sporadically across the country, but quickly morphed into widespread anti-government protests and appeared to be gaining momentum, leading to internet blackouts.
Pahlavi thanked Trump and claimed that “millions of Iranians” protested Thursday night.
“I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime accountable,” he wrote in a social media post.
“It is time for European leaders and others to follow his lead, break their silence and act more decisively in support of the Iranian people.”
So did Trump last month Threatened to attack If Iran were to rebuild its nuclear or missile programs.
The US bombed three of Iran’s main nuclear facilities in June as part of Israel’s unprovoked war against the country.
Iran has faced economic and political crises Environmental barriersWith acute water scarcity, his domestic unrest is increasing.
Iran has also suffered a major blow to its foreign policy as its network of allies has dwindled over the past two years.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by armed opposition forces in December 2024; Hezbollah was weakened by Israeli attacks; And Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been kidnapped by the US.
But Iran’s leaders continue to flout US threats. Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei His defiant rhetoric doubled down after the US attack in Caracas on Saturday.
“We will not surrender to the enemy,” Khamenei wrote in a social media post. “We will bring the enemy to his knees.”