Reza Pahlavi, the exiled former crown prince of Iran, said Friday that the Iranian protesters are risking their lives and placing their trust in President Trump to intervene to help them.
Why it matters: Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran killed protesters and promised that help was on the way. But he has delayed his decision as aides and allies like Israel express doubts that U.S. airstrikes would actually challenge the stability of the regime.
Driving the news: Pahlavi, who is positioning himself as a "transitional" leader if the regime falls, took the podium at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. His remarks followed a video montage of protesters being beaten and killed, or holding signs such as "Trump, don't let them kill us."
- Pahlavi insisted that the regime would fall, but said it would take more time and more blood without outside military intervention.
- He called specifically for strikes on the "architecture of repression" — targets related to command-and-control of the Revolutionary Guards, for example.
- Asked repeatedly about Trump's delays, Pahlavi said: "I believe the president is a man of his word."
State of play: Thousands of Iranians are believed to have been killed during the protests. Pahlavi estimated the death toll at 12,000, though that is unconfirmed.
- Trump has said in the past 48 hours that the killing is slowing, and claimed Iran had held off on executing prisoners due to his pressure.
- U.S. officials have reiterated that military action is on the table, and the U.S. is moving assets into the region to be prepared if Trump does order strikes.
- But there is some doubt inside the administration and among Middle Eastern allies that striking Tehran would be a game-changer. Some are advocating for using the regime's weakened position to pressure for a new deal on the nuclear issue and beyond.
What he's saying: Pahlavi denied that the momentum of the protests was slowing, as some analysts have reported.
- "Their heads are bloodied but unbowed," he said of the protesters. "Yet the cost has been heartbreaking. The people of Iran are being slaughtered in the streets and in their homes."
- He made a series of requests for the international community — such as helping to restore internet access, and blocking the assets of Iranian officials — and laid out a step-by-step plan for transitional governance that he plans to oversee. Public servants who don't have blood on their hands would be asked to stay in their jobs, for example.
- He also proposed a "Cyrus Accords," based on the Abraham Accords, to restore Iran's ties with Israel and other countries across the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia.
Friction point: Pahlavi brushed off Trump's suggestion that he might not have the backing of the people by noting that his name has frequently been chanted during protests.
- Asked about the history of repression when his father was in charge, Pahlavi replied: "I'm here to make history, not to write it."
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