White House envoy Steve Witkoff met with Iran's exiled former crown prince Reza Pahlavi to discuss the ongoing protests in the country, according to a new report.
Axios noted that this was the first high-level meeting between some form of Iranian opposition and the Trump administration since the protests began about two weeks ago.
Pahlavi, the son of the Shah who was deposed in the 1979 Islamic Revolution and lives in the U.S., is seeking to position himself as a "transitional" leader should the regime fall and has been calling on his compatriots in the country to continue protesting.
He has also been appearing on U.S. television calling on the Trump administration to intervene and support protesters.
Trump has not anticipated any concrete actions in the country but did say on Tuesday that it is a "good idea for Americans to leave Iran."
Also on Tuesday, Trump encouraged Iranians to "KEEP PROTESTING." In a social media post he urged them to "TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS" and "Save the names of the killers and abusers." "HELP IS ON ITS WAY," he concluded.
The BBC reported on Tuesday that Trump has been briefed on several covert and military tools that could be used in the country. Long-range missile strikes are an option, but officials have so far presented cyber operations and psychological responses. The president's national security team is expected to hold another meeting on Tuesday to discuss options.
Moreover, the U.S. Embassy in Iran advised U.S. citizens to leave the country "now" and "have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on U.S. government help."
"Protests across Iran are escalating and may turn violent, resulting in arrests and injuries. Increased security measures, road closures, public transportation disruptions, and internet blockages are ongoing," reads a passage of the alert.
The Iranian regime may have killed as many as 20,000 people in its crackdown of the protests that have roiled the country for days, according to a new report.
Citing two sources, including one inside the country, CBS News detailed that at least 12,000 people have been killed in the country, meaning that the toll is far higher than activists outside the country have been reporting.
Determining the scale of the crackdown has been difficult given the fact that the Tehran regime has implemented a complete internet shutdown in the country, which has gone on for a fifth day now.
The outlet noted that some people were able to get in touch with others outside Iran, but it was still not possible to call Iran from the outside.
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