Media: Trump casts doubt on Reza Pahlavi’s prospects for support inside Iran

US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on whether Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi could rally sufficient support inside Iran to take power, despite describing him as “very nice”.

Speaking in an exclusive Reuters interview in the Oval Office on January 14, Trump said there was a possibility Iran’s clerical leadership could collapse amid ongoing unrest, but stopped short of backing Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, as a potential successor.

“He seems very nice, but I don't know how he'd play within his own country,” Trump said. “And we really aren't up to that point yet.

“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’s remarks marked a more sceptical tone than earlier comments, after he said last week he had no plans to meet Pahlavi.

Reza Pahlavi, who is based in the United States, has lived outside Iran since before his father was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The 65-year-old has emerged as a prominent voice supporting nationwide protests against Iran’s ruling clerics.

However, Iran’s opposition remains deeply fragmented, split among rival ideological groups — including monarchists backing Pahlavi — and lacks an organised structure inside the country.

Trump has repeatedly warned that Washington could intervene in support of Iranian protesters. Activists say thousands have been killed during a crackdown on demonstrations that have swept the country in recent weeks.

The US president said it was possible the government in Tehran could fall, but cautioned against assuming any outcome.

“Whether or not it falls or not, it's going to be an interesting period of time,” he said, adding that “any regime can fail.”

During the interview, Trump also criticised Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over stalled peace talks with Russia and dismissed Republican criticism of a Justice Department investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Trump, who is nearing the end of the first year of his second term, sought to lower expectations ahead of November’s congressional midterm elections.

“When you win the presidency, you don't win the midterms,” he said. “But we're going to try very hard to win the midterms.”