Donald Trump has shown what he thinks of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a simple eight word statement after saying he wanted to be involved in picking the next leader
Donald Trump has shared a dismissive message with Iran’s new Supreme Leader after Mojtaba Khamanei was named to be his father’s successor.
Trump, who previously described the new leader as “unacceptable”, said he wanted to be actively involved in the selection of a new leader for Iran, as he had been for Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces. He went so far as to claim Iran was “wasting” time by appointing Mojtaba as he labelled the son of Ali Khamenei a “lightweight”.
Now, in a new interview, the firebrand Republican has shown just what he thinks of the new leader in just eight words.
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“I have no message for him. None, whatsoever,” Trump said while speaking to CBS. He added that he has someone else in mind to lead the country – despite Iran having announced Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as his father’s replacement already.
Previously, Trump said he wanted to be involved in the selection of Iran’s new leader “so we don’t have to go back every five years and do this again and again.” Speaking on Thursday, he said: “We want somebody that’s going to be great for the people, great for the country.”
On Sunday, he warned that a new leader of Iran “is not going to last long” if they were appointed without his involvement. Speaking to ABC News he said: “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.”
In the interview, Trump appeared to suggest that the war with Iran could almost be over already. Speaking from his golf club in Doral, Florida, the president said: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.
“[Iran has] no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.”
In the first week of operations, the US military said it had struck more than 3,000 Iranian targets. Trump added: “If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”
Initially, Trump estimated the war, which was sparked after joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, would be over in around a month. But now, that timeline appears to have shifted again in Trump’s mind as he said: “We’re very far ahead of schedule.”
While Trump was saying the war was practically over, though, his Department of Defence was posting on X, saying: “We have only just begun to fight”. The post was quickly called out by people pointing out the president’s recent comments.
“If that’s true, why did Trump declare ‘VICTORY’ 2 days ago?”, asked one user. Another pointed out: “Call your boss. The President just said we’re almost done.”
