US President Trump expresses dissatisfaction with Iran’s new leader selection, stating he won’t last long without American support.
Trump Comments on Iran’s New Leader
US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that he is “not satisfied” with the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader. He also mentioned that he has not decided to send American forces to any of the country’s nuclear facilities. “We have not made a decision on this matter. We are still far from that,” he said in an interview with the “New York Post,” commenting on media reports about potential talks on sending American forces to Iran’s underground nuclear facility in Isfahan.
Trump did not reveal his plans regarding Iran’s new leader. “I won’t say. I’m not satisfied with him,” he replied during a telephone interview from his golf club in Florida.
Trump’s Previous Statements
Last week, the American leader told Axios that he must be personally involved in selecting Iran’s new leader, just as it was in the case of Venezuela. He then admitted that Mojtaba Khamenei would most likely take power after his father and emphasized that this is unacceptable to him.
Trump’s Nuclear Warning
On Sunday, Trump told ABC News, even before the announcement of the leader’s appointment, that the new leader “won’t last long” without his support. He argued that he wants to avoid the need to return to military action in five or ten years, and especially wants to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The US President then expressed support for a leader associated with the current regime in Tehran if it would be a good leader.
Putin’s Congratulations
Vladimir Putin also spoke, congratulating Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as Iran’s supreme leader. “Dear Mr. Khamenei, please accept my sincerest congratulations on your election as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Putin said in a statement published on the Kremlin website. The Russian leader added that he believes Mojtaba Khamenei will “with dignity” continue the work of his father, who died on February 28 as a result of US-Israeli strikes. According to the Russian leader, the new supreme leader of Iran will “unite the nation (…) in the face of difficult challenges.”
“On my part, I would like to confirm our support for Tehran and solidarity with our Iranian friends,” Putin stated, adding that Moscow “was and will remain a reliable partner” of Tehran.
Background on Iran’s New Leader
The son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was elected by the Assembly of Experts on Sunday. The 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei holds a mid-ranking clerical title in Shia Islam – Hojatoleslam, lower than Ayatollah and Grand Ayatollah. He is known for close, cultivated for decades ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Revolutionary Guard. Over the years, he has been a key liaison between his father and the command of this formation.
