Trump expresses caution on Iran’s Reza Pahlavi as potential leader

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi appeared “very nice” but questioned whether he could gain sufficient support inside Iran to eventually assume leadership, Azernews reports, citing Reuters.

Trump said there was a possibility that Iran’s clerical leadership could collapse, but stopped short of endorsing Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, who was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“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 has repeatedly warned that the United States could intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where thousands have reportedly been killed in a crackdown on unrest against clerical rule. However, his comments on Wednesday reflected hesitation about backing any specific opposition figure at this stage.