Exiled Iranian royal urges Trump to "intervene"
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Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, issued an appeal to US President Donald Trump on Friday, calling for immediate intervention to support Iranian protesters.
In a post on X, Pahlavi described his message as “an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support, and action.” He claimed that millions of Iranians had taken to the streets the previous night, facing live gunfire, and warned that protesters are now confronting a total communications blackout, with no internet or landline access.
Mr. President, this is an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support, and action. Last night you saw the millions of brave Iranians in the streets facing down live bullets. Today, they are facing not just bullets but a total communications blackout. No Internet. No…
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 9, 2026
“I have called the people to the streets to fight for their freedom and to overwhelm the security forces with sheer numbers,” Pahlavi wrote. “Last night they did that.”
Read more: Iran hit by nationwide internet blackout amid widespread protests
He accused Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of threatening a brutal crackdown and using the communications blackout to target demonstrators. Pahlavi credited Trump’s previous threats to the Iranian regime with keeping “the regime’s thugs at bay,” but emphasized the urgency of further action.
“But time is of the essence,” he wrote. “The people will be on the streets again in an hour.”
The exiled royal, now 65 and based in Washington D.C., called Trump “a man of peace and a man of your word” and urged him to “be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran.”
Pahlavi has long advocated for the overthrow of Iran’s Islamic Republic and has previously stated he is "ready to help lead a transitional government" if the current regime collapses.
