In an exclusive interview with Axios on Thursday, President Donald Trump asserted that he must have a direct hand in choosing Iran’s next Supreme Leader, drawing parallels to his administration’s previous interventions in Venezuela.
President Trump identified Mujtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as the current frontrunner for the position but explicitly rejected his candidacy. “They are wasting their time; Khamenei’s son is weak,” Trump stated.
The President insisted on a personal role in the succession process to ensure regional stability. “I must be involved in the appointment, just as I was with Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela,” he added, signaling a “maximum pressure” approach to the power vacuum in Tehran.
