Iran’s exiled Crown Prince engages with Trump officials amid Iran’s deepening leadership crisis
WASHINGTON, DC: Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said that he has been in contact with the administration of US President Donald Trump during the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran.
The confrontation began after the assassination of Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering political upheaval in the country.
Pahlavi said communication with the administration had taken place through Steve Witkoff.
“Well, since it was made public, I’ve been in contact with the administration via the channel of Steve Witkoff,” Pahlavi said in an interview on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight.
“I’ve also been talking to members of Congress, both Senate and House, to keep them informed and briefed.”
Rival leadership emerges in Tehran
Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, has long sought to position himself as a potential future leader of Iran.
Iran’s current leadership has instead elevated Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader, as the country’s new ruler.
Pahlavi dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise to power as “the last desperate act of trying to cling on to power,” comparing him to his predecessor.
“But I don’t think they will succeed,” he said. “This regime is extremely weak, on the verge of collapse.”
Calls for a political transition in Iran
Pahlavi said the Iranian people would ultimately decide the country’s future leadership, expressing confidence that the United States would support their choice. He argued that a stable political transition in Iran would help avoid prolonged US involvement in the region.
According to Pahlavi, a temporary leadership structure made up of technocrats and experts could guide the country through the transition.
“Highly skilled technocrats and experts will be at work helping us bring in the mechanism of transition,” he said, describing a leadership team that could include figures from both inside and outside Iran.
He added that once a parliament and future governments are elected, the transition administration would dissolve.
Pahlavi is also scheduled to speak later this month at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas.
The event will feature several prominent speakers, including US Senator Ted Cruz, former UN ambassador Mark Wallace, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and North Carolina US Senate candidate Michael Whatley.
