US President, Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s next supreme leader will struggle to remain in power without his approval, as Tehran prepares to announce a successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed Khamenei and pushed the Middle East into a wider conflict, Iran’s Assembly of Experts met privately and selected a new leader, according to members of the body.
The clerics did not reveal the name of the chosen successor but said the announcement would be made soon. Some insiders have suggested that Khamenei’s 56-year-old son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could take over from his father.
Trump had earlier rejected the possibility of Mojtaba becoming Iran’s next leader, describing him as an unacceptable “lightweight.”
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump said during an interview with ABC News, referring to Iran’s next leader. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long.”
