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 [Rodríguez] in Venezuela,” he said.

Rodríguez became Venezuela’s leader after U.S. strikes ordered by Trump led to the removal and capture of former President Nicolás 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)