Iran’s exiled former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi pleaded Friday with President Donald Trump to follow through on his promise to strike the Islamic Republic.

The U.S. should conduct “a surgical strike” on the Iranian regime’s “paramilitary assets” to weaken Iran’s government and its ability to crack down on protesters, Pahlavi told reporters in Washington, where he has made the rounds in recent days to garner support and position himself as the person to lead a transition in Iran should it fall.

Trump has been watching the protests closely and had first pledged “very strong action” should Iran execute protesters. But Trump’s immediate threat appears to have dissipated after Gulf Arab states and Israel have lobbied against military action, at least right away.

“President Trump did say that if the regime was to hit the Iranian people hard, they will face serious consequences,” said Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran who was overthrown in 1979. “The Iranian people have taken him as a man of his word.”

The death toll from the protests has risen to at least 3,400 according to rights groups. Pahlavi cited some Iranian activist estimates that 12,000 people have been killed in demonstrations that began in late December over the collapsing rial and had escalated in recent days to calls for regime’s ouster.

Trump said last week he would not meet with Pahlavi, but Pahlavi met with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and other Trump officials last weekend, a person familiar with the matter said.

On Wednesday, Trump questioned Pahlavi’s support in Iran.

“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” Trump told Reuters. “And we really aren’t up to that point yet.”

He added: “I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me.”

Trump, Vice President JD Vance and members of their national security team including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner have held calls over the last two days with Israel and Gulf Arab states, who have counseled against striking Iran, according to a person briefed on the discussions who was granted anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The countries share a concern about intractable regional conflict. The U.S. is also worried about Iranian threats to strike American military assets in the region.

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