The US president has signaled that he is not prepared to support the Israeli-allied rebels led by Iran in the event of a regime change.
US President Donald Trump has ruled out talks with Iran’s self-proclaimed crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, suggesting the US government is not prepared to support a successor if the Iranian government collapses.
On Thursday, President Trump called Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah overthrown by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a “good man.” But Trump added that it would not be appropriate for him to meet as president.
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“I think we should get everyone out there and see who shows up,” Trump said on the “Hugh Hewitt Show” podcast. “I don’t necessarily know if that’s the appropriate thing to do.”
Pahlavi, who is based in the United States and has close ties to Israel, leads the splinter monarchist faction of Iran’s opposition.
President Trump’s comments suggest that he does not support President Pahlavi’s proposal for the United States to “lead.” [a] A “transition” in Iranian governance is expected if the current regime collapses.
The Iranian government is grappling with protests across the country.
Iranian authorities on Thursday cut off access to the internet as the Pahlavi tribe called for more demonstrations, in an apparent move to quell the protests.
The US president has previously warned that he would intervene if the Iranian government targeted protesters. He reiterated that threat Thursday.
“What they’re doing is very bad. And I told them that if they start killing people, which they often do during riots, which they often do, if they do that, we’re going to attack them very hard,” Trump said.
Protests in Iran began last month in response to a deepening economic crisis as the local currency, the rial, plummeted in value amid stifling U.S. sanctions.
Economically focused demonstrations began sporadically across the country, but quickly turned into widespread anti-government protests that appeared to be gaining momentum and led to internet blackouts.
Pahlavi thanked President 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 his administration accountable,” he said in a social media post.
“It is time for other countries, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence and act more decisively to support the Iranian people.”
President Trump last month threatened to attack Iran again if it rebuilds its nuclear and missile programs.
In June, the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear facilities as part of a war that Israel launched against Iran without provocation.
Iran is facing an economic and political crisis, as well as environmental obstacles such as severe water shortages, and internal instability is deepening.
Iran has also suffered a major blow to its foreign policy as its network of allies has shrunk over the past two years.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebels in December 2024. Hezbollah has been weakened by Israeli attacks. And Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was abducted by the United States.
However, Iranian leaders continue to ignore US threats. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stepped up his defiant rhetoric following Saturday’s U.S. attack on Caracas.
“We will not surrender to the enemy,” Khamenei wrote in a social media post. “We will bring the enemy to his knees.”
