Donald Trump has said the United States should play a role in selecting Iran’s next supreme leader following the death of Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei, who led Iran for more than three decades, was killed in joint United States and Israeli airstrikes on Iran last week, an event that has significantly increased tensions across the Middle East.
Trump made the comments in an interview with Axios published on Thursday.
According to international news outlets including Reuters, the US president said he believes he should be personally involved in the process of selecting Iran’s next leader.
“I have to be involved in the appointment,” Trump said, comparing the situation to what he described as his influence in leadership developments in Venezuela.
Trump also criticised Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader, who is widely seen as a leading candidate to succeed his father. The US president described him as “unacceptable” and a “lightweight”.
Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric with close ties to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and significant influence within the country’s religious establishment, has long been viewed as a possible successor.
However, under Iran’s constitution, the country’s supreme leader is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, a powerful clerical body responsible for appointing the nation’s highest authority. Iran has not yet announced who will replace Khamenei.
Trump said he would prefer a leader who could bring “harmony and peace” to Iran, warning that without such leadership the United States could face renewed conflict with the country in the future.
His remarks come as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East following the US-Israeli strikes that targeted Iranian leadership, missile sites and nuclear facilities. Iran and its allied groups have since launched retaliatory attacks across the region, raising fears of a wider conflict.
