I Have Someone In Mind To Lead Iran, Trump Declares
I Have Someone In Mind To Lead Iran, Trump Declares
In an interview with CBS News cited by Reuters, Trump suggested that the military campaign by the United States and Israel had significantly weakened Iran’s capabilities.
United States President, Donald Trump, has said he already has someone in mind to lead Iran, even as he claimed the ongoing war against the country is “very complete” and progressing faster than initially expected.
In an interview with CBS News cited by Reuters, Trump suggested that the military campaign by the United States and Israel had significantly weakened Iran’s capabilities.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force,” Trump told CBS News.
The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes by Tehran against Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.
The war has reportedly killed scores in Iran, including its longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Following his death, Iran appointed his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader — a development that has drawn criticism from Washington.
When asked about the new Iranian leader, Trump said he had no message for him.
“I have no message for him,” Trump said of Mojtaba Khamenei.
“I have someone in mind to lead Iran,” the U.S. president said, without providing further details about the person.
Trump’s remark reinforces earlier statements in which he indicated that Washington should have a role in determining Iran’s future leadership — a suggestion that authorities in Tehran have firmly rejected.
The U.S. president also told CBS News that the military campaign is progressing faster than he initially predicted.
Trump said the United States is “very far” ahead of his earlier estimated timeline of four to five weeks for the conflict.
The war has also disrupted global energy markets, particularly around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit chokepoints. Roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments typically pass through the narrow waterway.
According to Trump, shipping activity has begun to resume through the strait, though the passageway was nearly shut down earlier due to the fighting.
When asked about the future of the key maritime route, Trump suggested the United States could take control of it.
“Ships are moving through now,” he said, adding that he is “thinking about taking it over.”
The statement underscores the widening geopolitical stakes of the conflict, as the Strait of Hormuz remains a vital artery for global energy supplies.
Since the start of the war, Trump has offered varying objectives and timelines for the campaign, while maintaining that the United States and its allies have gained the upper hand militarily.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that Trump criticized Iran’s decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, saying Tehran “made a big mistake” by elevating the son of the late leader Ali Khamenei.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with NBC News cited by Aljazeera following reports that Mojtaba Khamenei had assumed the powerful position after his father was killed during a recent U.S.–Israel attack on Iran.
“I think they made a big mistake” in selecting Mojtaba Khameini, Trump told NBC News on Monday.
The U.S. president had earlier dismissed the new Iranian leader as a “light weight,” signaling skepticism about his ability to consolidate power in the Islamic Republic during a period of heightened regional tensions.
The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei marks a dramatic transition in Iran’s leadership. His father, Ali Khamenei, had served as Iran’s supreme leader for more than three decades and was the country’s highest political and religious authority until his death.
Trump’s comments add to already strained relations between Washington and Tehran following the attack that reportedly killed the elder Khamenei and escalated geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
During the interview, Trump also addressed speculation about possible U.S. moves targeting Iran’s oil sector, a key pillar of the country’s economy.
The president said it was “too soon to talk about” the United States seizing Iranian oil resources, but he added that he “doesn’t rule it out.”
