Washington, DC [US], January 13 (ANI): Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has appealed to US President Donald Trump to move 'sooner rather than later' against Iran's clerical leadership, as protests continue across the country amid reports of a harsh crackdown.

In an interview with CBS News on Monday, Pahlavi said, 'We need action to be taken.'

'The best way to ensure that there will be less people killed in Iran is to intervene sooner, so this regime finally collapses and puts an end to all the problems that we are facing,' he said.

Pahlavi has been living in exile since his father, Iran's last shah, was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the current system to power. He said he has been in contact with the Trump administration, though he did not disclose details of their discussions.

He further alleged that the Islamic Republic's recent outreach to the US administration was aimed at containing the nationwide demonstrations that he said could threaten the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump told reporters on Sunday night that he spoke with Iranian leaders on Saturday and said they 'called to negotiate' even as he has threatened military action against the regime. The US President said he was considering his options after warning on Friday that the United States would intervene if the regime began 'killing people like they have in the past.'

'We'll be hitting them very hard where it hurts,' Trump said Friday. 'And that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the administration was keeping all options on the table, including airstrikes.

Pahlavi claimed Trump's stated red lines had already been crossed and alleged Tehran was 'trying to trick' the international community into believing it was willing to negotiate an end to the unrest.

'The game-changer would be for this regime to know that they cannot rely anymore on a continued campaign of repression without the world reacting to it,' he said.

Asked whether he was seeking regime change, Pahlavi said Trump's expressions of solidarity with Iranians meant 'ultimately supporting them in their ask.'

'And their ask is that this regime has to go,' he said.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 500 people have been killed and arrests have crossed 10,000 as the protests entered their third week.

When asked if it was responsible to encourage continued demonstrations despite the violence, Pahlavi did not respond directly and said: 'This is a war and war has casualties.'

'In order to preserve and protect and minimize the death toll, minimize innocent victims yet again being killed by this regime, action is needed,' he said.

Pahlavi, who has projected himself as a possible transitional figure, said he represents Iranians overseas and claimed that chants of his name during the protests reflected the legitimacy of the role he could play, even as questions remain over the extent of his support inside the country.

'Why is it that I offer my service to Iran? I'm answering their call,' he said. 'I'm a bridge and not the destination at this point.'

Pahlavi has not returned to Iran in nearly five decades. Asked if he would be ready to sacrifice his life for the movement, he said he would, citing the fearlessness of protesters facing security forces.

'How could I not possibly be prepared to die for them? To die for liberty, to die for saving our nation? I'm prepared to do that,' he said.

He also said the current unrest, triggered last month by the collapse of Iran's currency, was different from earlier uprisings.

'Today, the ask is not just for reform, or for that matter, an economic demand. It is now putting an end to this regime. This is really the revolution in its true sense of the world,' he said.

Pahlavi also pointed to Trump being in office as another key factor, saying, 'Unlike some predecessors to the current president of the United States, he's a man that means what he says and says what he means,' Pahlavi said. (ANI)