The four hours that froze Tehran and Trump's dilemma in the Oval Office: “He's nice, but I don't know if the country wants him”
Donald Trump, in the Oval Office Photo: Profimedia
US President Donald Trump has expressed uncertainty about exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi's ability to gain the support of the Iranian population to eventually take power.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump made new comments on the situation in Iran, where airspace was closed for nearly five hours on Wednesday night amid concerns about possible military action between the US and Iran.
The US president has been reluctant to give full support to Pahlavi, the son of Iran's former shah, who was ousted from power in 1979.
“He seems very nice, but I don't know how he would do in his own country,” Trump said. “And we haven't reached that point yet. I don't know if his country would accept his leadership, but if so, it would suit me.”
The White House leader also questioned Pahlavi's ability to lead Iran after saying last week that he had no intention of meeting with him. This while Prince Reza Pahlavi told the protesters that “President Trump is ready to help you.”
The announcement of the night, coming from the pinnacle of power in Tehran, was made even on Trump's favorite television
What he said about the protests in Tehran
Trump said it was possible that the government in Tehran would fall because of the protests, but that in reality, “any regime can fail.” “Whether it goes down or not, it's going to be an interesting time,” he said.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said he would take “very tough measures” if Iran starts hanging protesters, but did not elaborate. “If they hang them, you're going to see some things,” Trump said.
On Wednesday, the White House leader announced that he had been told that killings in the Iranian government's crackdown on protests were declining and that, in his view, there were currently no plans for large-scale executions.
“We have been informed quite categorically — but we'll find out what that means — that the executions in Iran are stopping and they have stopped, and that there is no plan for executions. I've been told that from a reliable source and I hope that's true,” the US leader told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. The information had “just” reached him, the president said.
Asked who the people were who told him the killings in Iran had stopped, Trump described those people as “very important sources on the other side.”
However, the US president did not rule out possible US military action, saying that “we will follow the progress of the process”, before noting that the administration in Washington had received a “very good statement” from Iran.
In stark contrast, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei flatly rejected Washington's warnings, labeling the protesters “vandals” in the service of Donald Trump, while the government in Tehran threatened direct retaliation against US military bases in the region in the event of any intervention and stressed that it would not give in to attempts at external destabilization.
The statements of the American president on Wednesday came in the context in which Trump analyzed a series of possible actions against Iran, in response to the bloody repression of anti-government protests, including the possibility of carrying out military attacks.
The death toll in Iran following the regime's crackdown has reached 2,571 people, according to the Human Rights Activists news agency, cited by The Guardian. Over 18,100 people were arrested.
