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Iranian officials have rejected calls from Donald Trump to be involved in choosing the next leader, insisting that only Iranians can decide the country’s future.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf on Friday appeared to ridicule the US president’s claim to have a say in appointing a successor to assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
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“The fate of dear Iran, dearer than life, will be decided only by the proud Iranian people, not by the (Jeffrey) Epstein gang,” Ghalibaf wrote in X, referring to the late sex offender who had ties to wealthy and powerful Americans.
Earlier on Friday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said that under the US federal system, President Trump has no say in the New York mayoral election.
“Can you imagine this colonialist approach? He wants democracy in his country, but he wants to overthrow the democratically elected president of Iran,” Khatibzadeh told the Raisina Dialogue Conference in New Delhi.
In recent days, the U.S. president has repeatedly said he would like to see the Venezuelan scenario play out in Iran, retaining control but replacing it with a leader willing to meet Washington’s demands.
“What I’m saying is, we need leaders who are fair and just. Do a great job. Take care of America and take care of Israel and take care of other countries in the Middle East. They’re all our partners,” he told CNN on Thursday.
A day earlier, he told Axios that he “needs to be involved” in the appointment of a new supreme leader, similar to the selection of Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez after U.S. forces abducted his predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, in January.
Rodriguez previously served as Maduro’s vice president, but since taking office he has won praise from President Trump for allowing the United States to sell Venezuelan oil and agreeing to halt fuel exports to Cuba.
But experts have questioned whether President Trump will be able to find Rodriguez, an Iranian national, in a ruling regime that appears to be surviving despite an intense US and Israeli air campaign.
“That’s just wishful thinking,” said Sheena Azodi, an assistant professor of Middle East politics at George Washington University, about President Trump trying to play a role in choosing the next supreme leader.
Azodi told Al Jazeera that although some candidates to replace Khamenei may have different opinions on relations with the United States, they are all loyal to the Islamic Republic’s system.
“You can also argue that the next supreme leader will bring a different approach, because he is likely to be one of the second-generation revolutionaries. Ali Khamenei was a first-generation revolutionary,” Azodi said, referring to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“But again, Delcy Rodriguez does not exist in Iran.”
The next supreme leader will be chosen by an elected council of 88 members known as the Council of Experts.
President Trump expressed particular opposition to the possible appointment of Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, calling him a “lightweight.”
Earlier Friday, President Trump said any deal with Iran must lead to the country’s “unconditional surrender.”
U.S. and Israeli officials say Iran is suffering a major blow, and Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iranian leaders “cannot do anything” about the “death and destruction” the United States is unleashing on their country.
But Tehran officials are defiant and confident that attacking Israel across the Gulf will make the United States regret starting the war.
“President Trump still does not understand what a disaster he has brought on himself and the American soldiers by martyring our country’s Imam (Khamenei), and he wants to dictate conditions to the country,” Ghalibaf said on Friday.
Azodi said both sides were carrying out war propaganda. He added that while there is no doubt that the US and Israel have superior firepower, Iran has the ability to “absorb punishment” due to its size, identity and cultural awareness.
“Donald Trump can say a lot, but he has to keep in mind the power of nationalism. No one, no one in the world, wants to see a foreign actor decide their future,” Azodi told Al Jazeera.
