Donald Trump declared that he must be involved in selecting Iran's next Supreme Leader and insisted he does not accept Ali Khamenei's son, who is the leading candidate for the position.
On 5 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Donald Trump, the U.S. President, stated he must be involved in appointing Iran's next leader. He dismissed the possibility that Mojtaba Khamenei would succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of Iran, who was killed by the U.S. last Saturday.
"They are wasting their time. Khamenei's son is insignificant. I must be involved in the appointment, just like the case of Delcy in Venezuela," Trump told Axios. He was referring to Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president of Venezuela who came to power after the U.S. arrested Nicolás Maduro.
Trump also stated he will not accept a successor who continues to follow the policies of Iran's former Supreme Leader.
"Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We need someone who will bring reconciliation and peace to Iran," Trump said, warning that appointing a leader who follows the same path could force the U.S. back into war "within the next five years."
Trump's remarks came just one day after the White House signaled that regime change in Iran is not a primary objective in the president's military operations.
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Source:cnn