United States President Donald Trump has said Iran’s supreme leader may struggle to remain in power without the approval of Washington, as uncertainty surrounds the succession process following the death of Ali Khamenei.
Trump made the remark during an interview with ABC News, suggesting that the durability of Iran’s leadership would depend partly on how it relates with the United States.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump said. “If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long.”
The US president said his concern was to prevent a return to tensions that could lead to renewed nuclear confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
“I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again, or worse let them have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
Khamenei, who led Iran for more than three decades, died amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, setting in motion the constitutional process for selecting a new supreme leader.
Under Iran’s political system, the powerful clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts is responsible for choosing the country’s supreme leader.
Iranian officials, however, have dismissed suggestions that external powers could influence the process.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that the selection of Iran’s supreme leader remains a sovereign matter, warning against any attempt at foreign interference.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son, on Sunday evening was selected to succeed his late father.
