President Trump on Thursday said he believes he should play a role in choosing Ali Khamenei’s successor after the Iranian leader was killed, rejecting the possibility of his son taking over
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he believes he should play a role in choosing Ali Khamenei’s successor after the Iranian leader was killed, rejecting the possibility of his son taking over.
“Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,” Trump told Axios in an interview, drawing a comparison to Venezuela, where interim president Delcy Rodriguez has cooperated with him under threat of violence after the United States ousted her boss, Nicolas Maduro.
Trump also warned that the United States could return to conflict with Iran if a favourable leader does not emerge.
According to the Axios, he said Washington would likely be back at war within five years without a new leadership in Tehran that changes the country’s direction.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump was quoted saying by the news outlet.
It remains unclear how Trump could play any role in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader, since the decision is made by an assembly of senior Shiite clerics, many of whom are strongly opposed to the United States. Trump himself was raised as a Presbyterian.
However, his remarks suggest he may be open to working with a figure from within Iran’s existing political system rather than seeking to overthrow the government.
Iran has been a sworn adversary of Washington since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which removed the pro-Western shah and established the current Islamic Republic.
The late shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, has proposed returning to Iran as a transitional leader until a new constitution establishing a secular democracy can be drafted.
Earlier on Thursday, Pahlavi said that any new supreme leader chosen within the current Islamic Republic would be illegitimate.
Ali Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989 and pursued hardline policies that included domestic repression and confrontation with regional rivals, was killed on Saturday in an Israeli strike that marked the start of the current war involving Israel and the United States.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is among the leading contenders to succeed him. Ali Khamenei himself was only the second supreme leader of Iran, following revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Trump drew parallels with Venezuela, where he ordered a deadly January 3 operation in which US forces captured longtime adversary Nicolás Maduro.
Instead of backing the opposition long supported by Washington, Trump has said he is satisfied with Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, who has cooperated with the United States on several demands, particularly policies benefiting US oil companies.
According to Trump’s statements, Rodríguez has continued that cooperation under the threat of possible US action if she fails to comply, especially regarding access to Venezuela’s natural resources.
With inputs from agencies
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