Emirates 24/7 — U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday that he was "not pleased" with the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s Supreme Leader, succeeding his father who was assassinated at the onset of the U.S.-Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic.
When asked by the New York Post about his next steps following the younger Khamenei’s election, Trump responded: "I won’t tell you. I’m not pleased."
In earlier remarks to ABC News, Trump emphasized that any new leader would require U.S. approval to remain in power. "The new leader will need our approval. If he doesn’t get it, he won’t last long," Trump said. "We want to ensure we don’t have to go back every ten years in the absence of a president like me who doesn't do that."
The President added that his primary goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, stating: "I don’t want people to have to come back in five years and repeat the same thing, or worse, allow them to possess a nuclear weapon." When asked if he would approve of a leader with ties to the previous regime, Trump replied: "Yes, I would, to choose a good leader. There are many qualified people."
Trump characterized Iran as a "paper tiger," claiming that his administration’s actions thwarted a plan by Tehran to seize control of the entire Middle East. "They were about to attack. Their plan was to attack the entire Middle East and take full control of it," he asserted.
The U.S. President did not rule out the deployment of special forces to seize Iran's enriched uranium, stating that "everything is on the table." This follows reports from a senior administration official last week indicating that Iran has enriched enough uranium to reach weapons-grade material in 10 days or less.