Ben Rhodes

Well, so you alluded to my next question, which is everyone's trying to figure out what like who might lead the next Iranian government.

Obviously, it is it is unknowable.

But just to keep like float some names I keep hearing about.

I mean, it seems like the current president, President Pesachian, is kind of trying to position himself somewhere between the supreme leader and the protesters and sort of a middle ground.

I don't know if that'll work.

Then you have Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince president.

of Iran, I think the son of the Shah, who has inserted himself into these conversations from overseas.

He's called on people to take to the streets.

Now, Iranian friends of mine have been very cynical about him in the past, but it does seem like he was able to,

uh have some influence maybe in the country so i don't know uh obviously the military the irgc they're going to have a lot of sway like the guys with the guns tend to do well uh after a regime is toppled so i know what are you watching and what are you watching for like which individuals and entities

Yeah, no, I agree with that.

And like, I didn't point taken on the diaspora is probably, that's not where the leadership's going to come.

Yeah, no, not, not well, but it's also, you know, it does seem like there's some pretty, there's some big debates within the diaspora and sort of infighting that,

sometimes springs up in moments like this.

I mean, are there, can you help us understand those debates?

Like what are, what are the signs?

That's ridiculous.

Last question on the protest.

So, I mean, obviously, if the regime falls, the protesters, the people on the streets deserve all the credit.

But as you know, there will be others, outsiders, rushing to take credit, especially Donald Trump, especially Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.