President Donald Trump was hesitant to fully support exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi as the next leader of the country if the current regime falls, saying, “We really aren’t up to that point yet.”
Trump voiced his insights on the protests against the Islamic regime in Iran and the deadly crackdown on the demonstrators in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday. The protests against the regime led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began in late December, with the crackdown from the Iranian government on the anti-regime protesters quickly turning deadly. Over 2,500 people have died in the suppression of the demonstrations, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
The president vowed “strong action” should Iran execute or hang protesters, but said earlier Wednesday, “There’s no plan for executions … an execution or executions, so I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about that. I’m sure if that happens, we’ll be very upset, and you’ll be upset.”
Many protesters have turned to Pahlavi, the son of the last shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, as an opposition leader who could fill the void if the protests succeed in toppling the regime. In Trump’s interview with the outlet, the president expressed hesitancy about fully backing the exiled crown prince.
“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country. And we really aren’t up to that point yet,” Trump said. “I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me.”
Pahlavi has encouraged protesters to continue their fight despite the deadly repression, saying, “This is a war.” Pahlavi was born in Tehran but has been living in the United States since 1978, when he left Iran in exile before his father was ousted from power in the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
“I didn’t ask the people to come to the streets to fight against the regime because I wanted to,” Pahlavi said in an interview with NBC News. “They asked me to step in to help them and to be their voice in the outside world, to do everything that we can so we make this uprising successful this time. And I think we have some serious leaders that understand.”
TRUMP’S PROMISE TO IRANIAN PROTESTORS POSES SIGNIFICANT POLITICAL RISKS
Pahlavi has attempted to gain support for the movement from Trump, who has vowed to “help” the protesters, saying, “He’s no Barack Obama or Joe Biden, and that’s why they do have a higher expectation.”
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the regime is “ready for negotiations,” qualifying that they must be “fair, with equal rights and mutual respect.” However, he also said they “are not looking for war, but we are prepared for war.”
