President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s next supreme leader will not remain in power without approval from the United States, as tensions continue over the country’s nuclear program.
Speaking with ABC News, Trump suggested that whoever succeeds Iran’s current leadership would face serious consequences if Washington does not support the choice.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” the president told ABC News. “If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.”
Trump also said his goal is to prevent future crises involving Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again or worse let them have a nuclear weapon.”
When asked whether he would consider approving a leader connected to Iran’s current system, Trump said he would keep the option open. “I would, in order to choose a good leader I would, yeah, I would. There are numerous people that could qualify.”
The president also claimed Iran had broader ambitions across the region before recent military actions. “They are a paper tiger. They weren’t a paper tiger a week ago, I’ll tell you. And they were going to attack,” he said. “Their plan was to attack the entire Middle East, to take over the entire Middle East.”
Trump did not rule out further steps related to Iran’s nuclear material. “Everything is on the table. Everything.”
Officials say Iran may have enriched uranium capable of reaching weapons grade in less than ten days, with some material believed to be located at sites recently targeted during Operation Midnight Hammer.
Asked how long the conflict could continue, Trump declined to estimate. “I don’t know. I never predict. All I can say is we are ahead of schedule both in terms of lethality and in terms of time,” he said.