- By Shubham Bajpai
- Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:15 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday made a shocking desire to get involved in electing the next leader in Iran, "just like Venezuela."
Acknowledging that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, is most likely to be the next leader of Iran, Trump called him a "lightweight".
"They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela," he said.
Calling Mojtaba unacceptable, Trump said, "Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran".
The remarks came after Israel, on Tuesday, targeted the building of the Assembly of Experts in Qom. The Assembly of Experts is the clerical body responsible for selecting Iran's next supreme leader.
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Iran is currently run by an interim council of three members, including Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, the interim leader from the Guardian Council, Supreme Court Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeiand and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Amid speculations over the name of Mojtaba, the Assembly of Experts has clarified that it is in the final phase of deciding the name of the next Supreme Leader.
Israel, on the other hand, has warned that a person selected to be the successor of Khamenei will be its next target.
Who is Mojtaba?
A mid-ranking cleric, Mojtaba, is the second son of Khamenei. His name came to light a couple of days back as he is one of the most visible sons of Khamenei. Additionally, has as been extensively involved in state affairs during his father's reign. from behind the scenes, he worked as a power broker and managed Khamenei's office.
What goes in his favour is his strong ties with the IRGC from the Iran-Iraq War era. Using this connection, he managed to influence security and military coordination without holding formal public roles.