Exiled crown prince’s plan for Iran is mostly aimed at Trump, researchers say
No pursuit of nuclear weapons. Confronting drug trafficking. An immediate recognition of the state of Israel. Exporting copious amounts of oil and gas.
Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi laid out his aspirations on Thursday for Iran if its theocracy is toppled – and experts say they sound exactly like what US President Donald Trump wants to hear.
That plan is probably aimed at trying to secure support to lead Iran if the nationwide protests succeed in ousting the Islamic Republic. Activists describe a bloody crackdown by security forces that has killed 2,637 people and broadly smothered the demonstrations.
But Trump has yet to fully embrace Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the United States.
In an Oval Office interview with Reuters on Thursday,
Trump questioned whether Pahlavi would have sufficient support from within Iran to lead the country.“He’s really struggling to win Trump’s approval, to give the impression he has that strong support, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice-president of the Quincy Institute, a Washington think tank and author of several books on
Iran. Many of his goals also dovetail with the wishes of hardline Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, who has forged a close partnership with Trump.
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