Trump: 'I must be involved in appointing Iran's next leader' — calls Mojtaba Khamenei 'unacceptable'

Speaking to Axios on Thursday, President Trump stated: 'I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela.' Trump was referring to the US-backed transition following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January. Trump described Mojtaba Khamenei — who was secretly named acting Supreme Leader by Iran's Assembly of Experts on March 4 — as 'a lightweight' and said his appointment would be 'unacceptable.' Trump added that he 'wants someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,' and warned that a new Iranian leader continuing Khamenei's policies would force the US back into conflict within five years. The statement marks the most explicit articulation of a US regime-change agenda in Iran since the war began, and drew immediate condemnation from Russia, China, and the EU3. Iranian caretaker government called the remarks 'an act of colonialism' in violation of the UN Charter.