Trump questions Reza Pahlavi's ability to garner support in Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) 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. In an exclusive Reuters interview ​in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said there is a chance Iran’s clerical government could collapse, blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr ‌Zelenskyy 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. Mr. 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 (January 14, 2026) 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,” Mr. 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.” Mr. Trump’s comments went further in ​questioning Pahlavi’s ability to lead Iran after saying last week that he had no plans to meet with him. 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. Mr. 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. Mr. 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, which 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.” ‘Zelenskyy’ main inpediment to reaching deal Mr. 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 Mr. Zelenskyy is the main impediment to resolving the four-year-old war. Mr. Trump has frequently criticised both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy ‍, but seemed more downbeat once again on the Ukrainian president. Mr....

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