Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 5, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 1, 2026
Add as preferred source on GooglePresident Trump told Axios on March 5, 2026, that he must be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader, rejecting Mojtaba Khamenei as unacceptable and drawing a parallel to U.S. influence in Venezuela via Delcy Rodríguez ([axios.com](www.axios.com/2026/03/05/iran-leader-trump-khamenei?utm_sour
March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. 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.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran's late Supreme Leader, has survived the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in which his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
A mid-ranking cleric with close ties to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, hardliner Mojtaba is one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment and is seen as a possible successor to his father.
Iran has not yet announced a new leader.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Bhargav Acharya and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Caitlin Webber)
Trump stated he wants to be personally involved in selecting Iran's next leader, rejecting Khamenei's son as an option.
Trump described Khamenei's son as unacceptable and called for a leader who would bring harmony and peace to Iran.
Daphne Psaledakis and Bhargav Acharya reported the comments, with editing by Caitlin Webber.
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