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Trump Demands Say in Iran’s Next Supreme Leader, Calls Khamenei’s Son ‘Unacceptable’
US President Donald Trump rejected Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s next leader and said Washington should be involved in the selection following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to be involved in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader following the death of Ali Khamenei, rejecting the late leader’s son as a possible successor.
Speaking in an interview with Axios, Trump criticized Mojtaba Khamenei, widely viewed as a contender for the role.
“Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,” Trump said, referencing political developments in Venezuela involving Delcy Rodríguez. (Hürriyet Daily News)
He added that Mojtaba Khamenei would not be acceptable as Iran’s next leader.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said. (News24)
Trump also warned that the United States could face renewed conflict with Iran within five years if the next leader continues Khamenei’s hardline policies.
However, it remains unclear how Washington could influence the selection of Iran’s supreme leader, a process traditionally handled by the Assembly of Experts — a body of senior Shiite clerics that oversees leadership succession in the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989, was killed in an Israeli strike amid escalating hostilities involving Israel and the United States.
His son Mojtaba is considered one of the potential successors, alongside other figures within Iran’s political and clerical establishment.
Meanwhile, opposition figure Reza Pahlavi has proposed returning as a transitional leader to guide Iran toward drafting a new constitution and establishing a secular democratic system, arguing that any supreme leader chosen under the current structure would be illegitimate.
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