US President Trump insists on involvement in selecting Iran’s next supreme leader, rejecting the late ayatollah’s son as “unacceptable” in a new interview.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has insisted he should have a role in picking Iran’s next supreme leader. He stated that the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “unacceptable” to him.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Axios, drawing a comparison to US involvement in Venezuela. “Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,” Trump said.
He referred to Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who has cooperated with him under threat of violence. The United States ousted her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, in a deadly attack earlier this year.
Trump warned that the US would likely return to war within five years without a favorable leader in Iran. “We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” he was quoted as saying.
It remains unclear how Trump could influence the Islamic republic’s internal selection process. The decision is made by an assembly of senior Shiite Muslim clerics who are mostly staunchly opposed to the United States.
However, his remarks imply a willingness to work with someone from within the current system. This contrasts with seeking to topple the government, a sworn US enemy since the 1979 revolution.
The late shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, has proposed returning as a transitional figure before Iran drafts a new secular constitution. Pahlavi said any new supreme leader within the Islamic republic would be illegitimate.
Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran since 1989, was killed Saturday in an Israeli strike. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is considered a contender to succeed him.
In Venezuela, Trump has expressed satisfaction with Rodriguez’s cooperation on key US demands like oil. She is doing so under his threat of violence if she does not comply, particularly on access to natural resources.