\n<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would be \u201cinvolved\u201d in selecting the next leader of Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli strike.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an interview with Axios, Trump said Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader and widely seen as a likely successor, would be \u201cunacceptable.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey are wasting their time. Khamenei\u2019s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,\u201d Trump <\/span>told<\/span><\/a> Axios on Thursday. \u201cKhamenei\u2019s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trump said that if Iran selects a hardliner like Mojtaba Khamenei, the United States could be back at war with Iran \u201cin five years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n On Friday, Trump demanded \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d from the Iranian regime, saying that the United States and its allies would work to rebuild Iran economically after the selection of an \u201cacceptable\u201d and \u201cgreat\u201d leader.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER! After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. \u201cMAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!),\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s post comes after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that \u201csome countries have begun mediation efforts\u201d over the conflict. \u201cMediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict,\u201d he said on Friday.<\/p>\n Asked by the New York Times about Trump\u2019s comments about being involved in the process to find a new leader, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said<\/a> the president wants U.S. input to help avoid repeated conflict.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe president stated: \u2018We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future, so we don\u2019t have to go back every five years and do this again and again,\u201d she said. \u201cSomebody that\u2019s going to be great for the people, great for the country.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n