Trump says he needs to be involved in selecting Iran’s next leader, Axios reports

2026-03-05 - 17:14

U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios ​on Thursday that he needs to ‌be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. ​We want someone that will ​bring harmony and peace to Iran,” ⁠Axios quoted Trump as saying ​in an interview. “I have to be ​involved in the appointment, like with Delcy (Rodriguez) in Venezuela,” Trump said. Mojtaba Khamenei, son of ​Iran’s late Supreme Leader, has survived ​the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran ‌in ⁠which his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday. A mid-ranking cleric with close ties ​to Iran’s ​elite ⁠Revolutionary Guards, hardliner Mojtaba is one of the most ​influential figures in the Iranian ​clerical ⁠establishment and is seen as a possible successor to his father. Iran has ⁠not ​yet announced a new ​leader.