Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi said on Saturday that US military intervention in Iran could save lives and urged the administration of President Donald Trump not to spend too much time negotiating with Iran’s religious authorities on the nuclear deal.
The son of the deposed Shah of Iran, who lives in exile, said in an interview with Reuters that there are signs that the Iranian government is on the verge of collapse and that a possible attack could further weaken the regime or accelerate its fall.
Pahlavi was speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a gathering that Iranian government officials are barred from attending.
– It’s a matter of time. “We hope that this attack will speed up the process and that the people will finally return to the streets and lead to the final fall of the regime,” said Pahlavi, who lives in the United States and has been out of Iran since the overthrow of his father during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
A campaign of mass arrests and intimidation has led to the detention of thousands of people as Iranian authorities seek to prevent further protests after last month’s unrest, the deadliest since 1979. The protests began on December 28 as a small demonstration in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar due to the difficult economic situation, and then quickly spread across the country.
Trump questions support
Iran’s opposition is divided between rival groups and ideological factions, including monarchists who support Pahlavi, and has limited organized presence within the Islamic Republic. In an interview with Reuters last month, Trump expressed skepticism about the level of support Pahlavi enjoys inside Iran.
At the same time, President Trump’s administration is holding talks with Tehran on a possible nuclear deal, while Washington is deploying military forces in the region. American and Iranian diplomats met last week in Oman, and a new round of negotiations is expected next week.
– People hope that at some point a decision will be made that the negotiations do not make sense and lead nowhere. Then the United States should intervene and do what President Trump promised – to stand with the people – Pahlavi said.
– Intervention is a way to save lives – he added.
Speaking to US troops in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said Iran was a difficult partner in nuclear negotiations and suggested that fear-mongering Tehran might be necessary to resolve the standoff peacefully.
Two US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the US military is considering a longer-term operation against Iran, which could last for weeks, if Trump orders a strike.
(Vijesti.ba)
