Reza Pahlavi’s reported US visit comes as Iran protests intensify and Donald Trump renews warnings to Tehran over crackdown. Photos: X.
Iran’s exiled prince, Reza Pahlavi, is likely to visit US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence next week, according to various reports. Pahlavi is also expected to speak at the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, the reports added.
However, reports say that there is no confirmation on whether Pahlavi would meet President Trump during the visit.
The possible trip comes at a time of intensifying unrest inside Iran and renewed rhetoric from the White House expressing support for anti-regime demonstrators.
As civilian unrest continues across Iran, President Trump on Thursday once again voiced support for protesters while issuing a stern warning to Iranian authorities.
“I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots… we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said in an interview.
Trump had already warned last month that the Iranian regime would face consequences if government forces fired on demonstrators.
When Trump was asked about the dozens of people already been killed amid the protests. Trump responded by suggesting that not all deaths were directly caused by security forces.
Trump said some fatalities were the result of stampedes and were not necessarily caused by law enforcement.
“I’m not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that, but … they’ve been told very strongly – even more strongly than I’m speaking to you right now – that if they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell,” Trump said.
From Tehran to provincial cities, crowds of defiant Iranians have been pouring into public squares, chanting slogans demanding freedom and an end to decades of iron-fisted rule.
Videos circulating online show waves of protesters flooding major roads and shouting slogans that strike at the heart of the Islamic Republic.
A new video shared Thursday afternoon showed crowds cheering as a building went up in flames, underscoring the intensity of the unrest.
The renewed demonstrations mark one of the biggest surges of anti-regime protests in years, with students, workers and women leading the charge.
Despite the risks of arrest, beatings and worse, demonstrators are demanding democratic reforms and greater personal freedoms.
The Iranian authorities have responded in what has become a familiar pattern.
Security deployments have been ramped up, internet access throttled, and demonstrators warned of “severe consequences” for participating in what officials describe as foreign-backed unrest.
Despite the crackdown, the threats appear to be having little effect.
Public anger has been simmering over a combination of economic collapse, corruption, political repression, and the lack of basic freedoms, particularly for women and young people who say they have nothing left to lose.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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