Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed his late father as Iran’s supreme leader after years spent forging close ties with the elite Revolutionary Guards and building influence in the clerical establishment.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has survived the US-Israeli air war on Iran and is seen by Iran’s establishment as a potential successor to his father, who was killed in an airstrike on Saturday, two Iranian sources said on Wednesday.
But US President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Axios quoted Trump as saying in an interview.
“I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” Trump said.
Iran has not yet announced a new leader.
Reuters
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