U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes he must personally be involved in selecting Iran�s next leader following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

In an interview published Thursday, Trump dismissed the possibility that Khamenei�s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could succeed his father, calling him �unacceptable� and describing him as a �lightweight.�

�We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,� Trump said.

Trump added that the United States should have a role in shaping the outcome of Iran�s leadership transition. �They are wasting their time. Khamenei�s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodr�guez] in Venezuela,� he said.

Rodr�guez became Venezuela�s leader after U.S. strikes ordered by Trump led to the removal and capture of former President Nicol�s Maduro. Since then, there have been signs of limited cooperation between Washington and the Venezuelan government.

Trump�s demand to be involved in choosing Iran�s next leader could complicate efforts to bring the conflict to an end. Iran was previously ruled by the U.S.-backed Shah until the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which followed decades of tension fueled in part by a 1953 coup supported by the United States and Britain.

Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump said Iran�s leadership structure is rapidly collapsing amid the ongoing strikes.

�Their leadership is rapidly going. Everyone that wants to be a leader ends up dead,� he said.

�Their missiles are being wiped out rapidly. Their launchers are being wiped out,� he added.

It remains unclear who currently holds effective authority in Iran following the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes. Days after Khamenei�s death, a building housing members of the Council of Experts � the body responsible for selecting the next supreme leader � was reportedly bombed while members were meeting to vote on a successor.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)