Trump says it is too early to discuss support for Pahlavi in Iran

 U.S. President Donald Trump said it was too early to say whether Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi could gain support inside Iran.

“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he would play in his own country,” Trump told Reuters. “We’re really not at that stage yet.”

Trump said Washington was still assessing the situation and that it was premature to draw conclusions. “I don’t know whether the country would accept him in a leadership role or not. If they did, I wouldn’t be opposed,” he said.

Asked about the possibility of a change of power in Iran, Trump said “any regime can fall.”

Earlier, Axios reported that U.S. presidential envoy Steven Witkoff held a closed-door meeting with Pahlavi on Jan. 10–11. The meeting marked the first high-level contact between the Trump administration and Iran’s opposition since protests began.

On Jan. 12, Trump said the United States would impose 25% tariffs on all countries trading with Iran.