United States President Donald Trump has said that whoever becomes Iran’s next Supreme Leader must have approval from Washington, warning that any leader who fails to meet U.S. expectations “will not last long.”
Trump made the statement during an interview with ABC News on Sunday while speaking on the future of Iran’s leadership after the reported death of Ali Khamenei.
U.S. Wants Long Term Control Over Nuclear Threat
According to Trump, the United States wants a permanent solution to concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme and does not want future administrations to face the same crisis again.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us. If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump said.
“We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every ten years.”
He added that his administration wants to prevent Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons.
“I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and do the same thing again, or worse let them have a nuclear weapon,” he stated.
Trump Open to Different Candidate If Stability Is Guaranteed
When asked whether he could support a leader connected to Iran’s previous ruling structure, Trump said he would consider any candidate who can ensure stability.
“There are numerous people that could qualify. I would, in order to choose a good leader, yes,” he said.
He also claimed Iran had plans to expand its influence across the Middle East before recent military actions stopped those ambitions.
“They are a paper tiger. They weren’t a paper tiger a week ago. Their plan was to attack the entire Middle East,” Trump said.
Military Option Still Possible
The U.S. President said military action has not been ruled out, including the possibility of sending special forces to secure Iran’s enriched uranium.
“Everything is on the table. Everything,” he said.
New Leader May Be Announced Soon
Reports indicate that Iran’s clerical body responsible for choosing a new Supreme Leader has completed voting and may soon announce a successor to Khamenei.
The situation continues to raise global tension as the United States, Israel, and Iran remain at the center of a growing international crisis.
