U.S. President Donald Trump called Iran's selection of Mojtaba Khamenei, the younger son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the next supreme leader a "big mistake."
On the 9th (local time), President Trump said in a phone call with U.S. network NBC about Mojtaba's selection as Iran's supreme leader, "I think they made a big mistake," adding, "I don't know if it will last."
Earlier, in an interview with ABC conducted the previous day before Mojtaba's succession to the post of supreme leader was announced, President Trump also said, "An Iranian supreme leader who doesn't get our approval won't last long."
The previous day, Iran's Assembly of Experts said it had selected Mojtaba, the younger son of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader who was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, as the next supreme leader. Mojtaba has long been mentioned as a leading candidate for the next supreme leader and is known to wield formidable influence within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the intelligence services.
Some suggested the U.S. military and Israeli forces might be embarking on an operation to oust Iran's supreme leader across two generations. President Trump also took a hard line, saying, "Everyone who seems to want to become a leader in Iran ends up dead," and on the 5th said, "Khamenei's son is unacceptable."