United States President, Donald Trump, has declared that he intends to play a role in determining who succeeds Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, whose death has triggered a leadership crisis in Tehran.
Trump made the remark during an interview with Axios on Thursday, where he dismissed the possibility of Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, emerging as the next leader of the Islamic Republic.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela,” Trump said.
The US president appeared to reference Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power in Venezuela after US forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
Trump also warned that Washington would reject any Iranian leader who continues the policies of the late supreme leader.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” he added.
He further cautioned that installing a successor who maintains Khamenei’s ideological and political direction could push the United States back into military confrontation with Iran within a few years.
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Mojtaba Khamenei, a cleric believed to have strong links with Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, has been widely mentioned among possible successors, although Iranian authorities have yet to formally announce who will take over the country’s top leadership position.
Iran’s political uncertainty follows the killing of Ali Khamenei in late February during a wave of joint airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel on Iranian military and government targets.
The strikes were part of a broader military campaign launched amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme and its activities across the Middle East.
The conflict has since escalated into a wider regional confrontation, with Iran launching missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US-linked facilities across the region, heightening fears of a prolonged Middle East war and disrupting shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Khamenei, who led Iran from 1989 until his death, wielded sweeping authority over the country’s armed forces, judiciary and major state policies. His death has left a significant power vacuum in Tehran, fuelling speculation about the direction the country’s leadership could take as the conflict continues.