Witkoff secretly met with Reza Pahlavi as Iran protests descend into violence

It was the first high-level contact between the Iranian opposition and the Trump administration since the demonstrations began, the official said.

According to that official, Israel provided Washington with intelligence showing at least 5,000 protesters have been killed in what the official called mass repression. Earlier the same day, opposition news outlet Iran International stated that between 12,000 and 20,000 protesters were killed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a matter of days, while the regime instituted a total communications blackout across the country.

Pahlavi has lived in the United States since 1979 after the Islamic Revolution deposed his father. He leads an opposition faction in exile and, over the past two weeks, has appeared on U.S. television urging the Trump administration to support the protests. He has also positioned himself as a “transitional” leader should the regime fall.

When the protests first broke out late last year over Iran’s severe economic crisis, Washington did not view Pahlavi as a significant political player, Axios writes. Just last week, U.S. President Donald Trump declined to back him. The senior official said the administration was surprised when protesters began chanting Pahlavi’s name at rallies in multiple cities.

“There has been an ascendance of Pahlavi,” the source said. “They’re chanting his name at rallies in many cities, and it appears to be happening organically.”