United States President, Donald Trump, has said he must play a role in selecting the next leader of Iran following the death of its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in air strikes early on Saturday.
Trump disclosed this in an interview with US outlet Axios on Thursday, where he rejected the possibility of Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, emerging as the country’s next leader.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said.
“Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,” he said in reference to Delcy Rodríguez who took over as interim president of Venezuela after US forces kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro.
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Trump also told Reuters: “We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future.”
“We don’t have to go back every five years and do this again and again.”
Under the system governing Iran, the successor to the supreme leader is selected by a council of senior Shiite clerics. However, it remains unclear how Trump intends to influence the process.
Despite that uncertainty, his remarks have been interpreted as a signal that he may be willing to work with figures within the existing Iranian establishment.
Meanwhile, Israel has warned that it would assassinate any successor chosen by the Iranian regime.