ALBAWABA - Axios reported that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held a secret meeting with Reza Pahlavi, Iran's exiled former crown prince, during the weekend.
Axios mentioned, citing a senior U.S. official, that the meeting was to debate the anti-government protests in Iran. Since late December, demonstrations have erupted across the country. The protests initially focused on demands for improved economic conditions amid the decline of the Iranian rial, but later broadened to calls for regime change.
"This was the first high-level meeting between the Iranian opposition and the Trump administration since the protests began 15 days ago," Axios said.
It is worth mentioning that since calls for regime change in Iran, Pahlavi is attempting to push himself to step in as a "transitional" leader.
Pahlavi, the son of the shah who was deposed during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, leads an opposition faction from exile in the U.S.
Furthermore, Donald Trump announced that he is standing with the protesters, threatening to attack Iran if it kills people. In addition, he urged the Iranian people on Tuesday to "keep protesting" and "take over" government institutions, adding, "Help is on its way."
A demonstrator displays a placard calling for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's late ruler Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during an anti-Iranian-government protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on January 12, 2026. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
