Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Iranian king, expressed hope that Trump would stick to his word and intervene in Iran at a news conference in Washington this morning. Protesters have chanted Pahlavi’s name at some protests, but it remains unclear how much support he has inside the country.
“Clearly, President Trump did say that if the regime was to hit the Iranian people hard, they were faced with serious consequences. That the Iranian people have taken his word, as a man of his words, as I said, they know that unlike his predecessors that threw us under the bus one time, this president is not about to do the same thing, and that’s very encouraging and empowering,” he said.
Trump has said in recent interviews and posts on Truth Social that the U.S. would take action, including possible military action, if Iran continued to kill protesters or execute people detained during the protests.
Asked about the necessity of U.S. military intervention, Pahlavi said that any attacks on the “regime’s apparatus of repression,” including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and paramilitary institutions, would aid protesters.
“Any strike on those entities will facilitate our task, will prevent more loss of lives and will weaken the regime to a point that resistance will be futile,” he said.
Trump has not thrown his support behind Pahlavi, who asserted himself as the best person to lead a transition in Iran should the regime collapse and characterized himself as a supporter of democracy and human rights.
“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” Trump told the news agency Reuters. If Iranians did accept him, “that would be fine with me,” he said.
Pahlavi declined to comment when asked if he had spoken with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff or other members of the administration. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“President Trump has said that it’s up to the Iranian people to decide, and I totally agree. I’ve always said it’s for the Iranian people to decide,” Pahlavi said. “And I think the Iranian people have already demonstrated in great numbers who it is that they want them to lead to this transition.”