Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is urging President Donald Trump to take action as Iran’s government enforces a nationwide internet shutdown amidst escalating anti-regime protests. Pahlavi praised Trump as a “man of peace” and a “man of your word” in his appeal.

“Mr. President, I am reaching out to urgently request your attention, support, and action. Last night, millions of courageous Iranians stood up to live ammunition in the streets. Today, on top of that threat, they are enduring a complete communication blockade. There’s no internet access, and landlines are down,” Pahlavi conveyed through the platform X.

He further stated, “Ali Khamenei, fearing the downfall of his criminal regime due to the people’s uprising and your strong pledge to back the demonstrators, has issued threats of a severe crackdown. He intends to exploit this blackout to silence these young heroes through violence.”

In a recent criticism aimed at Trump, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed that Iranian demonstrators were “destroying their own streets” to win favor with the U.S. president, as reported by The Associated Press.

Pahlavi added that he believed Trump’s threat to intervene if the Iranian government used violence against protesters “kept the regime’s thugs at bay” during Thursday night’s protests. The prince called on the people of Iran to demonstrate on Thursday night and renewed his call for more protests on Friday night.

Recently, Pahlavi predicted that the regime was “very close to collapsing” amid the nationwide unrest.

“Over a hundred cities and millions of people on the street chanting ‘Death to the dictator,’” Pahlavi told “Hannity” on Tuesday. “The regime is crumbling and is very close to collapsing,” he added.

Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.  (Fars News Agency via AP)

He said the movement is “unprecedented” and differs from past efforts, pointing to participation from Iran’s powerful merchant class.

As of Friday, at least 36 people had been killed, including 34 protesters and two members of security and law enforcement forces, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Jan. 2 that the U.S. was “locked and loaded and ready to go” defend protesters if the regime used violence against them.

Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Square, across from the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3, 2026.  (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump wrote.

Trump reiterated the statement during an interview with Hugh Hewitt that aired on Thursday. He said that Iran has “been told very strongly, even more strongly than I’m speaking to you right now, that if they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell,” according to the AP. However, in the same interview, the president seemed to cast doubt on the idea that he would meet with Pahlavi.

“I’m not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that as president,” Trump said, according to the AP. “I think that we should let everybody go out there, and we see who emerges.”

The president also spoke with Fox News’ Sean Hannity about the possibility of intervening in Iran. During his appearance on “Hannity,” Trump said that the U.S. would hit the regime “very hard” if it mistreated protesters.

“We’re ready to do it. If they do that, we can hit them hard,” Trump told “Hannity.”

Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, speaks during a press conference. He has called on President Donald Trump to help the Iranian people who are protesting the regime, led by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Thomas Padilla/AP Photo)

Video from Tehran showed business owners shutting their shops in the Grand Bazaar and facing off with security forces in riot gear. Meanwhile, video from other parts of Iran have shown large crowds with thousands taking to the streets as they decry the country’s worsening economic conditions.

On Thursday, the regime plunged Iran into a nationwide internet blackout as the protests intensified. Live network data from NetBlocks showed internet traffic collapsing in the troubled nation on Thursday evening, shortly after calls circulated for mass protests at 8 p.m. local time.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, the State Department and a representative for Pahlavi for comment.