President Trump has dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei as an “unacceptable” successor to his late father and demanded a direct role in appointing Iran’s next leader to ensure regional peace.
Following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation on February 28, President Donald Trump has publicly rejected the potential succession of the leader’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, asserting that he must personally oversee the selection of the next leader. In a Thursday interview with Axios, Trump dismissed the younger Khamenei as a “lightweight” and stated, “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”
Despite reports that the Assembly of Experts has already moved to appoint Mojtaba under pressure from the Revolutionary Guard following a Tuesday Israeli airstrike that disrupted their initial voting session Trump insisted on U.S. involvement in the transition to prevent the continuation of the previous regime’s policies. The push for Mojtaba represents a potential shift toward hereditary rule for the first time since the 1979 Revolution, a move Trump signaled he would block by saying, “I have to be involved in the appointment.”