President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly met secretly with the exiled son of the last Shah to discuss ongoing protests in Iran.
By World Israel News Staff
President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East recently met with the son of the late Shah of Iran for talks on the protests currently roiling the Islamic Republic, a senior US official said.
On Tuesday night, Axios published a report claiming that White House envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met secretly with Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi over the weekend to discuss the protest movement and the possibility of regime change in Iran.
If confirmed, the alleged meeting would mark the first time a senior American official has met with an Iranian opposition leader since the latest wave of protests began late last month.
Yesterday, the White House national security team held a meeting to discuss possible American responses to the protests and to Iran’s violent crackdown. Trump did not attend the meeting, Axios reported.
The senior US official cited by the report said that the deliberations inside the White House are still at an early stage.
“We are still not in a decision-making mode regarding a military action at the moment,” the official said.
Witkoff’s alleged meeting with Pahlavi marks a shift in the administration’s perception of the exiled crown prince, Axios reported, after Trump refused to endorse Pahlavi during an interview on the “Hugh Hewitt Show” last week.
Since then, however, the White House has noted signs of popular support for Pahlavi among Iranian protesters, with many dissidents chanting the crown prince’s name at anti-regime demonstrations.
“There has been an ascendance of Pahlavi,” the senior US official said. “They are chanting his name in demonstrations in many cities, and it seems to be happening organically.”
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