Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning about Iran’s newly appointed leadership, saying the incoming supreme leader “is not going to last long” if he does not first secure approval from the United States.
Trump made the comments in an interview with ABC News, emphasizing that without Washington’s consent, the future of Iran’s top authority would be unstable.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump said. “If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long.
We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.”
The remarks came shortly after Iran’s clerical leadership confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — has been approved by Iran’s leadership council and the Assembly of Experts as the country’s new supreme leader following his father’s death.
Mojtaba’s appointment marks a historic moment in Iran’s political system, as he becomes the third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and inherits vast authority over state affairs, the military, and foreign policy.
Trump’s statement underscores continued U.S. pressure and influence over Iran’s political future, especially amid ongoing regional conflict and tensions with Tehran.
His insistence that the new Iranian leader must first earn U.S. approval highlights the persistent friction between Washington and Tehran, even as Iran navigates its own internal power transition.