U.S. President Donald Trump has questioned whether Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, would be able to command enough support inside Iran to lead the country if its clerical leadership were to fall.
Speaking in an interview with Reuters, Trump said Pahlavi appeared “very nice” but suggested it was unclear how much backing he would have among Iranians themselves.
Trump suggested that political change in Iran would ultimately have to come from within.
“It’s not for us to decide,” he said, indicating reluctance to be seen as shaping Iran’s leadership from abroad - a sensitive issue given the country’s history of foreign intervention.
“I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me,” Trump told Reuters.
The comments come amid continuing unrest in Iran and renewed debate over who could emerge as a viable alternative to the current regime.
Reza Pahlavi, 65, has lived in exile in the U.S. since the 1979 revolution that overthrew his father, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and brought the current supreme leader to power.
In recent years, and particularly since widespread protests erupted across Iran, he has sought to position himself as a unifying figure for opposition groups calling for democratic change.
In an interview with CBS News earlier this week, Reza Pahlavi told the U.S. broadcaster that he was “ready to die for liberty,” in Iran.
While Washington has repeatedly condemned Tehran’s crackdown on protesters and imposed sanctions on Iranian officials, the U.S. administration has stopped short of openly backing any single opposition leader.
Iran has experienced waves of anti-government protests over recent years, driven by economic hardship, political repression and demands for greater personal freedoms. Security forces have responded forcefully, with thousands reportedly arrested and killed, according to human rights groups.
The Iranian government has dismissed opposition figures abroad and accuses Western governments of fuelling unrest.
The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Iran on Thursday (15 January) at the request of the United States.
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