President Trump on Tuesday threw cold water on the prospect that exiled Iranian activist Reza Pahlavi could be the next leader of the country, saying he preferred someone in Iran to take charge.
“Some people like him, and we haven’t been thinking too much about that,” Mr. Trump said. “It would seem to me that somebody from within maybe would be more appropriate.”
Mr. Trump added that Mr. Pahlavi “looks like a very nice person,” but said a better candidate would be “somebody that’s there, that’s popular, if there’s such a person.”
Mr. Pahlavi, the last son of the last shah of Iran, has positioned himself as an outspoken leader of the Iranian opposition. The 65-year-old scion has been living in exile since his father was overthrown in 1979.
Since the U.S. and Israel launched their attack Saturday on Iran, Mr. Pahlavi has celebrated the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He also expressed a desire to return to Iran as soon as possible.
Other candidates include Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late ayatollah; Hassan Rouhani, who was president of Iran from 2013 to 2021; and Alireza Arafi, a Shiite cleric who served in Iran’s Guardian Council.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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