President Donald Trump told Axios Thursday that he wants to be personally involved with picking Iran‘s next leader, despite multiple senior administration officials repeatedly declaring that “regime change” is not a stated objective of Operation Epic Fury.
Trump conducted an eight-minute phone interview, his second with Axios since Saturday, where he acknowledged reports that Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of Iran’s assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is the most likely choice to lead the Iranian regime.
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However, Trump stated that the younger Khamenei is not a suitable candidate and that he plans on personally involving himself in the succession choice like he did with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez following the January raid to capture Nicholas Maduro.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela,” he stated. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”
Mojtaba Khamenei has never held public office and has long-standing ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Despite the president’s comments, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have all stated that Trump is not pursuing regime change in Iran.
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“Regime change is not a phrase that we use again,” Leavitt told reporters at Wednesday’s White House press briefing. “But obviously, as the president has said numerous times, do we want to see Iran being led by a rogue terrorist regime? No, of course, not. So any day the United States of America is taking out a terrorist is a good day for our country and a good day for our people.”
Leavitt also declined to say on Wednesday if the White House views Mojtaba Khamenei as “part of the same regime as his father,” telling reporters that they would “wait” to comment on his potential candidacy.
