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New Delhi: Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has urged US President Donald Trump to intervene amid violent protests in Iran, where masses have taken to the streets against the ruling authorities.
In a post on X, Pahlavi said Iranian authorities had imposed restrictions on the country’s communication systems to silence the voices of protesters. “Mr President, this is an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support, and action,” Pahlavi wrote. “Last night, you saw millions of people in Iran being shot dead. Today, they are facing not just bullets but a total communications blackout—no internet, no landlines.”
Pahlavi alleged that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is attempting to suppress the agitation by concealing it through a communications blackout. “He wants to use this blackout to murder these young heroes,” he said, urging Trump to be prepared to intervene as protesters prepared to return to the streets.
The appeal came after Iran’s leadership imposed strict curbs on public protests, even as demonstrators sought Trump’s support for peaceful resistance. Meanwhile, the reported death toll from the unrest has climbed to at least 50.
In a clip aired on Iranian state television, the country’s leadership was seen slamming Trump. Dismissing the US President’s warnings as hollow, Khamenei said Trump had “stained his hands with the blood of Iranians.” Pro-regime crowds were also seen chanting “Death to America.”
Iranian state media described the protesters as “terrorists,” a label historically used to justify crackdowns ahead of major unrest.
Amid the uprising, Khamenei shared a fiery post on X, warning: “The US President who judges arrogantly about the whole world should know that tyrants and arrogant rulers such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi], and others saw their downfall at the peak of their hubris. He too will fall.”
Even as authorities imposed restrictions on internet access and international telephone services, activists continued to circulate short videos of protests, with demonstrators chanting anti-regime slogans around bonfires and on the streets of Iran. The exact time and location of these events could not be independently verified due to the communications blackout.
The US has not issued any statement on the Iran protests yet. However, Trump has repeatedly warned the Khamenei regime to allow Iranian forces to deal peacefully with demonstrators. Trump’s remarks have drawn attention in the wake of a recent US military raid that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In an interview with talk show host Hugh Hewitt aired Thursday, Trump reiterated that Iran had been warned “very strongly” against violent repression. “If they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell,” he said.
