President Donald Trump says he is “not happy” with the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader.
The US president has repeatedly warned against electing the son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to lead the country as the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran escalates.
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President Trump told Time magazine on Friday: “I’m not going through this to become the second Ayatollah Khamenei. I want to participate in the selection process.”
Two days later, the Iranian Expert Council did just that. He replaced the murdered Ayatollah Khamenei with his 56-year-old son.
The decision was a show of defiance against the U.S. president, who has stressed for several days that Iran would follow the same path as Venezuela and choose a leader who would comply with Washington’s demands.
“I think they made a big mistake” on appointing Khamenei, President Trump said on Monday.
He also suggested that the new supreme leader could be targeted and killed like his father.
“I don’t know if it will last. I think they made a mistake,” the US president said.
In an earlier interview with the New York Post, President Trump declined to provide details about his plans for dealing with Iran’s new leader.
“I won’t say that. I’m not happy with him,” he said.
Calls for the death of Iran’s new leader
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Trump, also acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei was not the “change” the United States was looking for.
“I think it’s only a matter of time before he meets the same fate as his father, one of the most evil men on the planet,” Graham told X.
Mark Levin, a pro-Israel critic close to President Trump, had advocated killing Khamenei in the weeks before the war, but quickly changed his message after Mojtaba was chosen to succeed his father.
“Get young Khamenei!” Levin wrote in a social media post on Monday.
The United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, with the opening attack killing Ayatollah Khamenei and several government officials, followed by thousands of attacks that devastated Iran and claimed more than 1,250 lives.
Iran responded by firing hundreds of missiles and drones against Israeli and U.S. military facilities across the Middle East.
Iran’s attacks also hit energy facilities and civilian targets in the Gulf region, and nearly succeeded in closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil trade.
War also broke out in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
President Trump has said he wants Iran’s “unconditional surrender” even as regional turmoil has led to historic oil price spikes.
He also suggested that the war was “already won.”
The US president reiterated his confidence on Monday, telling CBS News that the war is moving “much ahead of schedule.”
“I think the war is almost completely over,” Trump said, adding that Iran has “nothing left” militarily.
But Trump’s repeated claims that Iran is on the brink of collapse and that he would be involved in choosing the country’s next leader drew ridicule in Tehran.
On Friday, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf said Iran’s fate would be determined by Iranians themselves, not the “gang” of Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender with ties to America’s rich and powerful.
Ryan Costello, policy director for the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), said President Trump’s rejection of Mojtaba Khamenei may have inadvertently increased the candidacy of the newly elected supreme leader.
“The question has become less about who is the best person to be the next supreme leader and more like, ‘What do we need to do to protect Iran’s sovereignty in the face of this invasion and the desire to tell Iran what to do domestically?'” Costello told Al Jazeera.
“Mojtaba Khamenei may have always been on the inside track, but I think President Trump’s disapproval has made it very difficult for the regime to move in any other direction.”
“Strong” blowback
Costello added that President Trump has set a high ceiling for war, but the US president has lost control of the conflict.
“President Trump had a very different expectation that Iran was weak and would collapse within hours, just like Trump did.”
Rather, Iran appears to have been able to withstand the initial onslaught, even as it absorbed heavy blows from the United States and Israel.
There have been no large-scale defections or large-scale protests against the ruling regime since the war began. And Iranian forces have been able to maintain a steady barrage of shelling against Israel and the region.
Costello said the fallout from the U.S.-Israel war is “strong and violent” as Hormuz Island is shut down, oil prices soar and markets begin to feel the strain of disruption.
He added: “The idea that Mr. Trump would be able to dictate his will inside Iran has been significantly eroded about 10 days into the conflict.”
Some of Trump’s Democratic rivals at home have highlighted the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei and accused him of lacking a clear vision for the war he and Israel started.
Democratic Representative Jake Auchincloss said President Trump “replaced an 86-year-old terrorist dictator with a 56-year-old terrorist dictator,” referring to father and son Khamenei.
He predicted that the new supreme leader would escalate attacks across the region and create a “race for nuclear capabilities.” Iran denies developing nuclear weapons.
“Mr. President, what are your plans?” Auchincloss wrote in a social media post.
