Raging Trump demands right to pick Iran’s next supreme leader | US | News
Donald Trump has announced to the world that he plans to personally shape who will rule Iran next; While dismissing the most likely candidate as “slight,” he endorsed the Kurdish army’s pressure on Iranian territory as a means to end the worn-out regime.
In comments to Axios, Trump made clear that Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the assassinated religious leader and who ran his father’s office for years, was not a figure Washington could work with. He turned to Venezuela as a frame of reference, pointing to his direct role in the appointment of Delcy Rodríguez as interim president there following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to attend the appointment, like Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela,” he said. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”
Rodríguez took over the Venezuelan presidency after assuring Trump of close cooperation with the United States.
On the military front, Trump said he would “fully” support Kurdish forces advancing west of Iran to help overthrow the government.
‘It’s too late for a deal’
Any remaining hopes of a negotiated exit from the conflict appeared to vanish during Trump’s remarks on Thursday. He acknowledged that Tehran had lent a helping hand but showed no interest in slowing down the campaign.
“We want to fight now. We have been experiencing terror with this group for 47 years,” he said. “I once again call on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the army and the police to lay down their weapons.”
He said military operations were progressing “ahead of schedule.”
According to the Telegraph, the combination of Mojtaba Khamenei’s family lineage and deep roots within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had made him the overwhelming favorite to step into his father’s role. Analysts generally assumed that his rise would keep the guard’s grip on Iranian power intact; Trump’s comments appeared designed to prevent this.
Tehran has hesitated to name a replacement after Israeli warplanes destroyed the building where top clerics were meeting to choose a successor. However, signals from Iran’s political establishment on Thursday indicated that a decision was approaching.
The death toll is rising
The human cost of conflict continues to rise. The Iranian Red Crescent Society put the death toll in the country at at least 1,230; This figure includes 175 children and teachers who died when a primary school was hit on the first day of the conflict.
The health ministry reported that 77 people died in Lebanon.
Tens of thousands of people streamed from south Beirut on Thursday after Israeli forces issued evacuation orders across the region.
