By: Sunday Ameh
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has said the United States must be involved in determining who becomes the next Supreme Leader of Iran following the death of Ali Khamenei.
Trump made the statement during an interview with Axios on Thursday while reacting to ongoing discussions in Iran over possible successors to the late leader.
“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 was referring to Delcy Rodríguez, who reportedly assumed power in Venezuela after US forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
Trump also indicated that he would oppose any successor who continues the policies associated with the late Iranian leader.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” he stated.
One of the figures widely considered a potential successor is Mojtaba Khamenei, a cleric believed to have strong ties with Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, Iranian authorities have yet to formally announce a new Supreme Leader.
Trump warned that installing a leader who follows the same political path as the late Khamenei could push the United States into another war with Iran “within five years.”
His remarks came a day after the White House suggested that regime change in Iran was not the main objective of the administration’s ongoing military campaign in the region.
The leadership uncertainty follows the death of Khamenei in late February during a wave of joint airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian military and government targets.
The strikes formed part of a broader military campaign amid escalating tensions over Iran’s regional activities and nuclear programme.
According to reports, several strategic facilities in Tehran and other locations were targeted, triggering a wider conflict across the Middle East.
Iran later responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US-linked targets across the region, raising fears of a broader regional war and disrupting energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran since 1989, had not publicly named a successor before his death, creating a power vacuum in Tehran and intensifying speculation about who will lead the country next as tensions in the region continue.
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