US President Donald Trump has said he would seek to influence the selection of Iran’s next supreme leader, warning that anyone chosen without Washington’s approval “is not going to last long”.
Trump made the remarks on Sunday, hours before Iranian state media reported that the Assembly of Experts had selected Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, succeeding his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed after the United States and Israel launched war on Iran on February 28.
Trump did not immediately respond to Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection, but told ABC News that any new leader “is 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.
Trump added he did not want future US administrations to “have to go back” in coming years, referring to possible future military action.
Iranian officials have rejected suggestions of US influence over the process.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “We will allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs.”
He said the decision is for Iranians, noting that the Assembly of Experts is elected and selects the supreme leader.
Barbara Slavin, a fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, told Al Jazeera that Trump had previously said he would not accept Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader.
She said the selection could be seen as a challenge to Trump and could deepen scepticism in the United States about the war.
Source: Al Jazeera
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