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White House special envoy Steve Witkoff met privately over the weekend with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran, to discuss nationwide protests and the worsening crisis inside the Islamic Republic, U.S. officials told Axios.
Reza Pahlavi, 65, is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iran’s last monarch, who was overthrown during the 1979 Iranian Revolution and forced into exile.
After the fall of the monarchy, Iran’s theocratic system was established under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Pahlavi has lived abroad since then and has long advocated for regime change and democratic reforms in Iran.
The meeting marks the first reported high-level contact between the current U.S. administration and a prominent Iranian opposition figure since protests expanded across the country. Analysts describe the unrest as the largest and most sustained challenge to Iran’s leadership in decades.
Demonstrations that began over economic conditions and political grievances have evolved into broader calls to end clerical rule. Iranian security forces have responded with mass arrests, internet shutdowns and lethal force. Some reports place the death toll in the thousands.
Pahlavi has presented himself as a possible transitional leader, calling on Iranians to rise up against the Islamic Republic and promoting a vision of a secular and democratic Iran. His level of support within the country remains difficult to assess due to tight government controls on information.
U.S. officials have publicly condemned Tehran’s response to the protests but have generally avoided openly backing any single opposition leader. Witkoff’s discussions with Pahlavi reflect a larger U.S. effort to better understand the protest movement and consider ways to support Iranian civil society as tensions with Tehran intensify.
President Donald Trump has voiced public support for the demonstrators. Writing on Truth Social on Tuesday, he said, “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!
“Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!”
