The National: US prepares new government for Iran in case of fall of Ayatollah regime
Donald Trump and Jared Kushner (photo: Anna Moneymaker/ EPA)

The United States is probably working on establishing an interim government in Iran in case the current government is no longer able to govern the country. This was reported by the Abu Dhabi state newspaper The National with reference to unnamed interlocutors involved in the process.

Amid diplomatic efforts, the White House is seeking contacts with prominent Iranian-Americans who could help in a possible government transition if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is overthrown, the newspaper reports.

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Two sources with knowledge of the process say that the US president's son-in-law is involved Donald Trump Jared Kushner. He is allegedly helping to assemble a group of Iranian-American business leaders to advise on the creation of a transitional body to help govern Iran in the event of a regime collapse.

The White House has not commented on this.

According to another source involved in the White House talks, the Trump administration wants to convene a meeting of Iranian opposition figures in Palm Beach, Florida, where the president's Mar-a-Lago estate is located. It could take place as early as this weekend.

In Oman, representatives of the United States and Iran discuss Tehran's nuclear program. The US side is represented by Kushner and the US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Iran is represented by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told reporters that diplomacy is always the "first option" for Trump.

"But while these negotiations are ongoing, I would like to remind the Iranian regime that the president has many options at his disposal, besides diplomacy, as commander-in-chief of the most powerful armed forces in the history of the world," she added.

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