Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, reached out to United States President Donald Trump on Friday and urged him to intervene in the ongoing protests in Iran.
Highlighting what is happening in Iran, Pahlavi said that there is not internet or landlines in the country and the protestors were facing bullets. Through a post on X (formerly Twitter), he issued an “urgent and immediate call” for Trump’s support and action.
“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 landlines,” he wrote on X.
“Ali Khamenei, fearing the end of his criminal regime at the hands of the people and with the help of your powerful promise to support the protesters, has threatened the people on the streets with a brutal crack down. And he wants to use this blackout to murder these young heroes,” he added.
The exiled prince said that the people of Iran will hit the streets in protests in an hour and that “time is of the essence” as he urged Trump to intervene.
“I have called the people to the streets to fight for their freedom and to overwhelm the security forces with sheer numbers. Last night they did that. Your threat to this criminal regime has also kept the regime’s thugs at bay. But time is of the essence. The people will be on the streets again in an hour. I am asking you to help,” he said.
“You have proven and I know you are a man of peace and a man of your word. Please be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran,” he added.
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What is happening?
Iran signalled on Friday that its security forces would move to suppress protests, openly pushing back against US President Donald Trump’s pledge to support demonstrators, AP reported.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Trump of having hands “stained with the blood of Iranians,” as crowds chanted “Death to America!” in footage broadcast on state television. Iranian media later repeatedly branded protesters as “terrorists,” language that has in the past preceded violent crackdowns on nationwide unrest.
Protesters, Khamenei said, are “ruining their own streets … in order to please the president of the United States,” adding, “Because he said that he would come to their aid. He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.”
