STORY: Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, said opposition forces are “ready to step in” if the clerical regime collapses, urging U.S. lawmakers to back measures that empower Iranians.

“Do not throw us under the bus by trying to negotiate or appease a regime that for 47 years has brutalized our nation,” Pahlavi told Fox News in an interview aired on Tuesday (January 13).

Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff met Pahlavi over the weekend to discuss protests roiling Iran.

Pahlavi said to Fox News' Bret Baier that dialogue with counterparts inside Iran is ongoing to prepare a transfer of power, stressing the need for support from “free nations that stand on the right side of history.”

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: FOX NEWS PRESENTER BRET BAIER INTERVIEWING REZA PAHLAVI, THE EXILED SON OF IRAN'S LAST SHAH AND A PROMINENT VOICE IN THE FRAGMENTED OPPOSITION

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (AIRED JANUARY 13, 2026) (FOX NEWS CHANNEL'S SPECIAL REPORT - Mandatory on-air and on-screen credit to "Fox News Channel's Special Report" / No obstruction of Fox bug / No more than two minutes use allowed / No archive / No reuse / No resale)

1. FOX NEWS PRESENTER BRET BAIER INTERVIEWING REZA PAHLAVI, THE EXILED SON OF IRAN'S LAST SHAH AND A PROMINENT VOICE IN THE OPPOSITION

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED SON OF IRAN'S LAST SHAH, REZA PAHLAVI, SAYING:

"A lot of people are ready to step in. There's a counterpart outside (Iran) that in a sort of hybrid system can help one another in that process. And I think the important thing is to be able to protect their identities to the very end so they are not prematurely exposed, which is why it's not so obvious that we can ask them to, you know, show up and not be immediately in danger. So we have to be very careful about that. But we are constantly in dialog with them preparing that transfer. As soon as this regime collapses, we can immediately engage those forces within."

3. BAIER SPEAKING DURING INTERVIEW

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED SON OF IRAN'S LAST SHAH, REZA PAHLAVI, SAYING:

"We have reached a point where some action is needed, regardless of what the executive branch wants to do. The legislative side has to be in support of anything that can empower a nation because at the end of the day, it's about empowerment."

5. BAIER SPEAKING

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED SON OF IRAN'S LAST SHAH, REZA PAHLAVI, SAYING (PARTIALLY OVERLAID WITH SHOT NUMBER 7):

"We have come to the point where people are just fed up with this regime, chanting death to the dictator. They want to liberate themselves. And their demand for freedom is met with the most brutal reaction by a regime that is waging war on its own citizens. How else can we liberate ourselves when there's such a degree of pressure without having at some point an element of backing and support from free nations that stand on the right side of history? Do not throw us under the bus by trying to negotiate or appease a regime that for 47 years has brutalized our nation."

7. PAHLAVI SPEAKING IN INTERVIEW

8. BAIER SPEAKING