Trump: I will personally participate in choosing the next leader of Iran

SadaNews - President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that he needs to personally participate in selecting the next Iranian leader.

The site quoted Trump as saying in an interview: "Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who brings harmony and peace to Iran."

He added: "I must be involved in the appointment process, just as I did with Delcy in Venezuela."

Trump explained that he refuses to accept a new Iranian leader who continues Khamenei's policies, as he claims it would force the United States into a new war within five years.

In contrast, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other officials denied that the process aims to "change the regime," stressing that the primary goal is to weaken Iran's missile capabilities, nuclear program, and naval strength.

Mohsen Khamenei, aged 56, is considered one of the prominent candidates to succeed his father, although no official announcement has been made yet. He is known as a hardline cleric and has strong ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, although he has not held any official government position.

Israel also targeted a building in the Iranian city of Qom on Tuesday that houses the religious body responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader, in an attempt to disrupt the voting process for choosing the new leader.

Trump compared the issue of leadership succession in Iran to his intervention in Venezuela, where Vice President Delcy Rodriguez took power after U.S. forces detained President Nicolas Maduro in January.

In his "State of the Union" address, Trump described Venezuela as a "new friend and partner" of the United States, stating that his country received over 80 million barrels of oil since the operation that ousted Maduro.

Trump also praised Rodriguez on Wednesday, saying that "oil has started to flow," following U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's visit to Caracas and Rodriguez's announcement of plans to reform mining laws in the country.