White House envoy Steve Witkoff met with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah and a prominent voice in the fragmented opposition, over the weekend to discuss the protests roiling that country, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing an unidentified senior US official.
This was the first high-level meeting between the Iranian opposition and the Trump administration since the protests began on December 28, according to Axios's Barak Ravid.
According to a series of public opinion polls, approximately one-third of Iranians support Pahlavi, while another one-third strongly oppose him, Axios reported, citing Dutch pollster Ammar Maleki.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi issues enthusiastic support for protest movement in Iran
On Monday, Pahlavi took to social media to voice his support for the protests in Iran, calling on the Iranian people to intensify their actions and assuring them that any institutions responsible for regime propaganda are "legitimate targets."
“Employees of state institutions, as well as members of the armed and security forces, have a choice: Stand with the people and become allies of the nation, or choose complicity with the murderers of the people - and bear the nation’s lasting shame and condemnation," he stated.
Additionally, Pahlavi encouraged the Iranian diaspora to go to their embassies, saying, “The time has come for them to be adorned with Iran’s national flag, in place of the disgraceful banner of the Islamic Republic.”
He concluded, “Iran’s freedom is near. The blood shed by Iran’s immortal sons and daughters guides our path toward victory. We are not alone. International support will soon arrive. Standby for my next messages. Very soon, we will reclaim our beloved Iran back from the Islamic Republic, and celebrations of freedom and victory will fill every corner of our country.”
Shir Peretz and Tobias Holcman contriuted to this report.