Overview
- Reza Pahlavi, speaking at POLITICO’s Security Summit on Tuesday, said contradictory talk of negotiations and calls for an uprising is sapping opposition morale and deterring defections.
- He urged the United States and Israel to keep up airstrikes on Iranian targets until citizens feel safe enough to act as ground forces to topple the regime, saying it is time to “finish the job.”
- He said President Trump’s threats to hit civilian infrastructure and to wipe out Iranian “civilization” confuse people inside the country who are unsure whether the goal is liberation or punishment.
- He claimed at least 50,000 people inside Iran’s military and bureaucracy have contacted him about defecting, a figure not independently verified, and said many now wait to see if Washington cuts a deal that leaves the regime in place.
- The remarks land during a fragile ceasefire and peace-talks push, with reporting also pointing to a split between Trump, described as cautious on stoking an uprising, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seen as more bullish.