U.S. President Donald Trump has said he must be involved in the selection of Iran’s next Supreme Leader following the death of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Axios on Thursday, while rejecting Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeding his father.
‘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.
The US president was referring to Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power in Venezuela after US forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
Trump also said he would reject any successor who continues the policies of the late Iranian leader.
[Ali] Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,’ Trump said, adding that the US would be back in a war within five years if the heir accedes as Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Mojtaba has survived US-Israeli airstrikes that wiped out his father and dozens of the Islamic regime’s top brass.
Trump’s comments came a day after the White House suggested that regime change in Iran was not the primary objective of the administration’s ongoing military campaign in the region.
Iran’s Supreme Leader is the country’s highest political and religious authority, wielding significant power over the armed forces, judiciary and major state policies.