Trump Expresses Doubts About Reza Pahlavi's Leadership in Iran

Trump's Perspective on Iranian Opposition

By Steve Holland

Concerns Over Pahlavi's Acceptance

WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi "seems very nice" but expressed uncertainty over whether Pahlavi would be able to muster support within Iran to eventually take over.

Impact of Protests on Iranian Government

In an exclusive Reuters interview in the Oval Office, Trump said there was a chance Iran's clerical government could collapse, blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the stalemate in negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine, and dismissed Republican criticism of a Justice Department probe of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Trump's Views on Zelenskiy and U.S. Politics

Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where thousands of people have been reported killed in a crackdown on the unrest against clerical rule. But he was reluctant on Wednesday to lend his full support to Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, who was ousted from power in 1979. 

"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 comments went further in questioning Pahlavi's ability to lead Iran, after he said last week that he had no plans to meet with him.

OPPOSITION FRAGMENTED

The U.S.-based Pahlavi, 65, has lived outside Iran since before his father was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has become a prominent voice in the protests. Iran's opposition is fragmented among rival groups and ideological factions - including the monarchists who back Pahlavi - and appears to have little organized presence inside the Islamic Republic.

Echoing Trump's caution, Sanam Vakil, deputy director of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Program, said Pahlavi had gained prominence among some protesters and had helped mobilise them to some extent. "But I wouldn't overstate it. It's very hard to see how much support he has or how much support any figure has in Iran," she said.

Trump said it is possible the government in Tehran could fall due to the protests but that in truth "any regime can fail."

"Whether or not it falls or not, it's going to be an interesting period of time," he said.

Trump, who is closing out the first year of his second term in office, sat behind his massive Resolute Desk and sipped a Diet Coke during the 30-minute interview. At one point, he held up a thick binder of papers he said contained his achievements since being sworn into office on January 20, 2025.

But he sought to manage expectations for Republicans in November's congressional midterm elections, noting that the party in power frequently loses seats two years after a presidential election.

"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."

'ZELENSKIY' MAIN IMPEDIMENT TO REACHING DEAL

Trump, who has struggled throughout his presidency to end Russia's war in Ukraine despite campaign boasts that he could end it in a day, said Zelenskiy is the main impediment to resolving the four-year-old war.

Trump has frequently criticized both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy but seemed more downbeat once again on the Ukrainian president.

Trump said Putin was "ready to make a deal." Asked what the holdup is, Trump said simply: "Zelenskiy."

“We have to get President Zelenskiy to go along with it," he said.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS 'SHOULD BE LOYAL'

Trump dismissed Senate Republicans who have vowed to block his Fed nominees over concerns that Trump's Justice Department is interfering with the central bank's traditional independence with its probe into the Fed's Powell.

"I don't care. There's nothing to say. They should be loyal," he said of his party's lawmakers.

Trump also rejected criticism from JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon that Trump's meddling into the Fed could spike inflation.

"I don't care what he says," Trump said.

Trump is to meet on Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House, their first in-person meeting since Trump directed the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and seized control of the country earlier this month.

"She's a very nice woman," Trump said of Machado. "I've seen her on television. I think we're just going to talk basics." 

Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Trump. She has offered to give him her prize, but the Nobel Committee said the peace prize cannot be transferred.

He praised the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, who was vice president to Maduro when he was ousted. Trump said he had a "fascinating talk" with Rodriguez earlier on Wednesday and "she's been very good to deal with."

Trump frequently extolled the strength of the U.S. economy during the interview despite lingering worries among Americans about prices. He said he will carry that message with him next week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he will stress "how great our economy is, how strong our job numbers are, how good we're doing."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters that Trump will have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Switzerland, Poland and Egypt while at the Davos event.

(Reporting By Steve Holland, Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Ross Colvin and Diane Craft)