Trump's special envoy secretly met with Iranian prince-in-exile
Special Envoy of the President of the United States Donald Trump Steve Witkoff held a secret meeting with the Iranian prince in exile Reza Pehlawi, during which the protests in Iran and possible scenarios were discussed. This was reported by Axios with reference to informed sources.
According to the publication, the meeting was held in private and was not officially announced.
First contact with the opposition
As Axios notes, this is The first meeting between representatives of the Trump administration and the Iranian opposition since the start of large-scale protests in the country.
The contact with Pahlavi is seen in Washington as an attempt to assess the potential for alternative political leadership in the event of a weakening or fall of the ayatollahs' regime.
Who is Reza Pehlawi
Reza Pehlawi - is the son of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He lives in exile and has long positioned himself as possible transitional leader in the event of a regime change in Iran.
Pahlavi actively supports anti-regime protests and calls for international support for the Iranian people.
Context.
The protests in Iran continue amid the economic crisis, sanctions pressure and internal dissatisfaction with the government's actions. Western countries are closely monitoring the situation, considering various scenarios for further destabilisation of the regime.
The Trump administration's contact with the opposition may indicate the US moving to a more active political game around Iran's future.
What's next
There has been no official comment from the White House on the meeting. Analysts do not rule out that the United States may expand informal contacts with Iranian opposition circles, depending on the development of the protests.
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