United States President Donald Trump has declared that whoever emerges as Iran’s next Supreme Leader would need Washington’s approval to remain in power, warning that the individual “is not going to last long” otherwise.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump said the United States intends to ensure Iran’s leadership does not pose a long-term nuclear threat.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump said.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a President like me that’s not going to do it.”
The US President added that his administration wants a permanent solution to concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again, or worse let them have a nuclear weapon,” he stated.
When asked whether he would support a potential leader who previously had ties to Iran’s former ruling structure, Trump said he would consider such an option if the individual could ensure stability.
“I would, in order to choose a good leader I would, yeah, I would,” Trump said.
“There are numerous people that could qualify.”
Trump also claimed that Iran had plans to expand its influence across the Middle East before recent developments halted those ambitions.
“They are a paper tiger,” he said. “They weren’t a paper tiger a week ago, I’ll tell you. And they were going to attack. Their plan was to attack the entire Middle East, to take over the entire Middle East.”
The President further indicated that the United States has not ruled out military options, including sending special forces to secure Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
“Everything is on the table. Everything,” he said.
Trump’s remarks come as Iran’s clerical body tasked with selecting a successor to the slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is reported to have concluded voting and may soon announce a new leader.
