U.S. President Donald Trump said it would not be a problem if another cleric emerged to succeed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, who died in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
According to CNN on the 6th, Trump, during an interview that day, was asked, "Is it okay if another 'ayatollah' appears in Iran?" and said, "Probably. It depends on who the person is. I don't mind even if it's a religious leader." Ayatollah is a term that refers to a senior Shia Islamic cleric.
Trump said, "I don't dislike religious leaders. I have worked with many religious leaders, and they were excellent."
When asked whether Iran must become a democracy, he said, "I don't insist on that," adding, "There should be a fair and just leader there (in Iran)." He went on, "It should be a leader who can do the job well, treat the United States and Israel well, and work with other partner countries in the Middle East."
CNN reported that the previous day Trump said he had about three people in mind as Iran's next leader and expressed a desire to choose that person himself.
Asked "How is that possible?" he said, "It will be very easy," citing the Venezuela case. Trump referred to the case in which, through a military operation in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro was ousted and a pro-U.S. policy was pursued under Acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
He also evaluated Acting President Rodríguez, saying, "We got a great leader. She is doing a fantastic job."
On the international oil prices that surged after the attack on Iran, he said, "It's only a short-term phenomenon and will drop sharply soon."