Exiled Iranian crown prince appeals to Trump as Iran protests mark ‘defining' moment

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi appealed to President Donald Trump on Sunday to help liberate Iran as nationwide protests continue to roil the Islamic Republic.

"You have already established your legacy as a man committed to peace and fighting evil forces," Pahlavi said on "Sunday Morning Futures." "There is a reason why people in Iran are renaming streets after your name. They know that you are totally opposite to Barack Obama or Joe Biden. They know you're not going to throw them under the bus as they have had before."

Trump voiced support for the protesters in a Truth Social post on Saturday, writing, "Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!"

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The president also said at a Friday news conference that the U.S. would respond forcefully if the regime resorts to mass violence.

"We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts," he said.

Protests have spread across multiple Iranian cities in recent days, with demonstrators calling for the end of the theocratic government, as security forces move to suppress unrest.

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Pahlavi said Trump’s public backing has emboldened these protesters and called the "defining" moment a chance to "liberate" the nation.

"Let's hope that we can permanently seal this legacy by liberating Iran so that we and you can make Iran great again. Let's partner on this and have a better future for our countries and for our people," he said.

"This is an opportunity that has presented itself. I'm prepared to return to Iran at the first possible opportunity. I'm already planning on that and the transition team. We hope only that the Iranian people this time will be victorious, and they will be, because I know that the Iranians are prepared to die for this cause, and so am I."

The unrest comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with U.S. allies closely watching how Washington responds as Iran faces growing internal pressure.