President Donald Trump said he must be personally involved in deciding who will lead Iran after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, arguing that the next ruler must break with the hardline policies that brought Tehran into conflict with the United States.
In an interview with Axios published Thursday, Trump said he intends to have a direct role in selecting Iran's next supreme leader, comparing the situation to his administration's intervention in Venezuela.
"They are wasting their time. Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela," Trump told Axios.
Trump said Mojtaba Khamenei, the slain leader's son and a powerful cleric with ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, appears to be the frontrunner to replace his father. But Trump made clear he would oppose that outcome.
"Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran," he said.
Trump warned that installing another leader who follows the elder Khamenei's hardline agenda could drag the United States back into conflict.
"If they put someone like that in, we'll be back at war in five years," he said.
The comments come as Iran's clerical establishment weighs its next move after Khamenei was killed during the escalating U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Tehran.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for choosing the country's supreme leader, has delayed announcing a successor, though officials have suggested a decision could come soon.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is widely viewed as a leading candidate despite never holding elected office, and his potential rise has raised concerns about a hereditary transfer of power inside Iran's ruling system.
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