Power struggle in Iran? Trump points to three possible new leaders after US move
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said he has three candidates in mind for the role of Iran’s new leader. He also added that Washington currently plans to continue its operation against Tehran, according to his interview with The New York Times.
Read also: US and Israel hit Iran hard: Is this a war to destroy the regime?
“I have three very good choices about who could lead Iran. I won’t be revealing them now. Let’s get the job done first,” Trump said.
Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s top national security representative, Ali Larijani, stated that the country would be governed by a temporary committee until a successor to the Supreme Leader is elected.
Ali Larijani led the abruptly suspended nuclear deal negotiations with the United States, and in January this year, the administration of Donald Trump imposed sanctions on him for his role in suppressing anti-government protests.
Returning to the interview, Trump did not answer whether he believes Larijani could lead Iran’s government.
When asked about plans for a transfer of power, he said that local military forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), could hand over their weapons to the people.
“They would really surrender to the people, if you think about it,” the US leader said.
He then proposed a completely different model for what a transfer of power in Iran might look like, referring to his recent experience in Venezuela — specifically the ousting of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
“What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect, the perfect scenario,” Donald Trump emphasized.
His response implied that what worked in Venezuela could also work in Iran. However, Trump’s advisers reportedly told him that major cultural and historical differences make it practically impossible to apply the same strategy used in Venezuela, where the incumbent government remained in power after agreeing to follow US directives.
At the same time, Trump said he would be ready to lift sanctions on Iran if the new leadership proves to be a pragmatic partner.
The president declined to say how — or even whether — his administration would protect the Iranian people, whom he has urged to overthrow their government.
The head of the White House said that he was not making any specific promises either way and that it was too early.
The duration of the US operation against Iran was also addressed. When asked how long the United States and Israel could sustain attacks at this level, Trump responded that it would be about one month.
“The U.S. military intends to sustain its assault on Iran for four to five weeks. It won’t be difficult. We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. You know, we have ammunition stored all over the world in different countries.” Trump concluded.
What else is known about Trump’s latest statements on Iran
On the evening of March 1, US President Donald Trump delivered a second video address after the start of the operation against Iran.
In his speech, Donald Trump reported that Washington had struck hundreds of targets in Iran, destroyed 9 ships and a shipbuilding facility, and eliminated Iran’s entire military command.
He emphasized that combat operations would continue and called on the IRGC, Israeli military forces, and police to lay down their weapons, otherwise they would face the same fate as the country’s top leadership.
In addition, in an interview with The Atlantic, he said that Iran had proposed resuming dialogue. According to Trump, he agreed to this, but did not specify any timeframe for talks.
