Trump questions support for son of Iran’s last Shah inside country

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Jan 14 that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi “seems very nice” but expressed uncertainty over whether Mr 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 Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky 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 reportedly killed in a crackdown on the unrest against clerical rule. But he was reluctant on Jan 14 to lend his full support to Mr 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 Mr Pahlavi’s ability to lead Iran, after he said last week that he had no plans to meet him.

The US-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 Mr Pahlavi – and appears to have little organised presence inside the Islamic Republic.

Echoing Mr Trump’s caution, Ms Sanam Vakil, deputy director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Program, said Mr 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.

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 he said contained his achievements since being sworn into office on Jan 20, 2025.

But he sought to manage expectations for Republicans in November’s congressional mid-term 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 mid-terms,” he said. “But we’re going to try very hard to win the midterms.”

‘Zelensky’ main impediment to reaching peace deal with Russia

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 Zelensky is the main impediment to resolving the four-year-old war.

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

The US leader said Mr Putin is “ready to make a deal”.

Asked what the hold-up is, he said simply: “Zelensky.”

“We have to get President Zelensky to go along with it,” he said.

Republican lawmakers ‘should be loyal’

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

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

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

“I don’t care what he says,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Trump is to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House on Jan 15, their first in-person meeting since Mr Trump directed the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and seized control of the country earlier this month.

“She’s a very nice woman,” Mr Trump said of Ms Machado. “I’ve seen her on television. I think we’re just going to talk basics.” 

Ms Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year and dedicated it to Mr 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, Ms Delcy Rodriguez, who was vice-president to Mr Maduro when he was ousted.

Mr Trump said he had a “fascinating talk” with Ms Rodriguez earlier on Jan 14 and “she’s been very good to deal with”.

Mr Trump frequently extolled the strength of the US 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 Mr Trump will have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Switzerland, Poland and Egypt while at the Davos event. REUTERS