Exclusive-Trump questions Reza Pahlavi’s ability to garner support in Iran
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi “looks very nice” but expressed uncertainty about whether Pahlavi could rally support within Iran to eventually take over.
In an exclusive Reuters interview in the Oval Office, Trump said Iran’s religious government was likely to collapse, blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a stalemate in negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine, and rejected Republican criticism of the Justice Department’s investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where thousands have reportedly been killed during the crackdown on unrest against religious rule. But on Wednesday he was reluctant to give full support to Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah of Iran who was ousted from power in 1979.
“He seems like a very nice guy, but I don’t know how he’ll play in his own country,” Trump said. “And we’re not there yet.
“I don’t know if his country will accept his leadership, and if they do, I wouldn’t mind that.”
After Trump said last week that he had no plans to meet with Pahlavi, his comments further questioned Pahlavi’s ability to govern Iran.
Pahlavi, 65, who lives in the United States, has been living outside Iran since his father was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has become a prominent voice in protests. Iran’s opposition is fragmented between rival factions and ideological factions, including monarchists who support Pahlavi, and appears to have little organized presence within the Islamic Republic.
Trump said it was possible for the government in Tehran to fall due to protests, but in reality “any regime can fail.”
“Whether it goes down or not, it’s going to be an interesting time,” he said.
Trump, who is one year into 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 document that he said contained his accomplishments since he was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2025.
But he tried to manage Republican expectations in November’s midterm congressional elections, noting that the ruling party often loses seats two years after presidential elections.
“You can’t win midterm elections when you win the presidency,” he said. “But we will work hard to win the midterms.”
‘ZELENSKIY’ THE MAIN OBSTACLE TO REACHING THE AGREEMENT
Trump, who struggled to end Russia’s war in Ukraine throughout his presidency, said that Zelenskiy was the biggest obstacle to resolving the war that has been going on for four years, even though he boasted in his election campaign that he could end the war in one day.
Trump has frequently criticized both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy, but once again appeared more pessimistic about the Ukrainian President.
Trump said Putin was “ready to make a deal.” When asked what the obstacle was, Trump simply said, “Zelenskiy.”
“We must ensure that President Zelenskiy complies,” he said.
REPUBLICAN MPS ‘MUST BE LOYAL’
Trump fired Senate Republicans who had vowed to block Fed nominees over concerns that Trump was interfering with the central bank’s traditional independence with his Justice Department investigation into Powell.
“I don’t care. There is nothing to say. They must be loyal,” he said about his party’s MPs.
Trump also rejected JPMorgan CEO’s criticism Jamie Dimon Trump’s intervention in the Fed could increase inflation.
“I don’t care what he says,” Trump said.
Trump will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday; It will be their first face-to-face meeting since Trump ordered the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and took control of the country earlier this month.
“She’s a very nice woman,” Trump said of Machado. “I saw him on TV. I think we’ll just talk about the basics.”
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated his award to Trump. He offered to give his prize to him, but the Nobel Committee said that the peace prize could not be transferred.
He praised Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez, who was vice president at the time of Maduro’s impeachment. Trump said he had a “fascinating conversation” with Rodriguez earlier Wednesday and that he “got along very well with Rodriguez.”
Trump frequently praised the strength of the U.S. economy during the interview, despite ongoing concerns among Americans about prices. He said he would take that message to next week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he would highlight “how great our economy is, how strong our jobs are, how well off we are.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters that Trump will hold bilateral talks with the leaders of Switzerland, Poland and Egypt during the Davos event.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Ross Colvin and Diane Craft)
