US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s next supreme leader will struggle to remain in power without his approval, as Tehran prepares to announce a successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed Khamenei and pushed the Middle East into a wider conflict, Iran’s Assembly of Experts met privately and selected a new leader, according to members of the body.
The clerics did not reveal the name of the chosen successor but said the announcement would be made soon. Some insiders have suggested that Khamenei’s 56-year-old son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could take over from his father.
Trump had earlier rejected the possibility of Mojtaba becoming Iran’s next leader, describing him as an unacceptable “lightweight.”
The clerics did not reveal the name of the chosen successor but said the announcement would be made soon. Some insiders have suggested that Khamenei’s 56-year-old son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could take over from his father.
Trump had earlier rejected the possibility of Mojtaba becoming Iran’s next leader, describing him as an unacceptable “lightweight.”
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump said during an interview with ABC News, referring to Iran’s next leader. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long.”
However, Iran’s top diplomat insisted the decision belongs solely to Tehran and warned against foreign interference.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the choice of a new supreme leader is an internal matter for Iran and stressed that the country would not allow any outside power to interfere in its domestic affairs. Speaking during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, he also called on Trump to apologise to the people of the region for the escalating conflict.
