Washington, Jan. 13 -- 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, ...