He also touted a transition plan that he says will prevent a power vacuum in Iran.

However, it’s unclear how feasible that plan could be since he hasn’t been in Iran for more than 40 years.

In an interview with Reuters in January, Trump sounded sceptical about the level of Pahlavi’s support inside Iran.

Pahlavi’s opinion piece was published before Iran confirmed Khamenei’s death after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

“In announcing the strikes, President Donald Trump … addressed the Iranian people — the regime’s longest-suffering victims — declaring that ‘the hour of your freedom is at hand.’”

“Mr President: Thank you. Those words gave the Iranian people strength, and I am certain they will meet this moment,” he wrote.

Pahlav has served as a rallying figure for some of Iran’s opposition during anti-government demonstrations last month.

“Our path forward will be transparent: a new constitution drafted and ratified by referendum, followed by free elections under international oversight. When Iranians vote, the transitional government dissolves.”

Pahlavi, 65, has lived abroad for over four decades since the US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in an uprising.  

Iran’s opposition is fragmented among rival groups and ideological factions — including the monarchists who back Pahlavi.