US President Donald Trump declared that he must be involved in the selection of Iran's next leader during an interview with Axios on Thursday.
"Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran," Trump stated.
In the interview, Trump expressed his opposition to the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of assassinated leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the next leader, after acknowledging that Mojtaba Khamenei is the most probable pick.
"They are wasting their time. Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela," Trump said, adding that he refuses to accept a new leader who would continue the late Khamenei's policies, claiming that such a leader would force the US back to war in the near future.
Mojtaba Khamenei has never held any public office in Iran and has ties to the IRGC.
Delayed announcement of a new Iranian leader
The official announcement of a new supreme leader has been postponed by the Islamic regime for several days.
A meeting of Iran's Assembly of Experts, the body tasked with the leadership selection, was interrupted after the building housing the meeting was "flattened" in an IAF airstrike on Tuesday as the group was counting its votes for the new supreme leader.
However, statements released by Iranian officials on Thursday imply that the identity of the supreme leader may be announced soon.