Analyst says US president won’t discover an Iranian Delcy Rodriguez from throughout the present Islamic Republic system.
Printed On 5 Mar 2026
Donald Trump says he desires to be concerned in selecting the subsequent supreme chief of Iran, reiterating his objective of giving rise to a brand new management that’s pleasant to the US throughout the Iranian ruling system.
The US president voiced opposition on Thursday to appointing the son of the assassinated Supreme Chief Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba, to exchange his slain father.
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“They’re losing their time. Khamenei’s son is a light-weight. I’ve to be concerned within the appointment,” Trump informed Axios.
He added that he would like to have a pacesetter much like Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, who succeeded Nicolas Maduro after he was kidnapped by US forces in January.
Regardless of beforehand serving as Maduro’s vp, Rodriguez has allowed Washington to promote Venezuela’s oil and minimize off petroleum provides to Cuba beneath the specter of additional US strikes.
Trump has repeatedly stated he wish to discover an Iranian Rodriguez.
“Venezuela was so unimaginable as a result of we did the assault, and we stored authorities completely intact. And we’ve Delcy, who’s been superb,” he informed reporters earlier this week.
Nonetheless, there are main variations between Iran and Venezuela. Whereas the kidnapping of Maduro was a swift and restricted army operation, the Iranian authorities is presently engaged in an increasing warfare with the US and Israel.
The Iranian supreme chief should even be a professional spiritual scholar.
Iranian officers have denied any negotiations with the US, and Trump’s aides have stated that Washington is raining “demise and destruction” on Iran.
It isn’t clear how Trump could possibly be concerned within the choice course of amid the hostilities.
Trita Parsi, government vp on the Quincy Institute, stated Trump is looking for Iranian give up.
“He’s wonderful with a symbolic determine taking up Iran so long as this particular person pursues Trump’s coverage preferences, just as Delcy has carried out,” Parsi informed Al Jazeera.
He added that Trump doesn’t need anybody succeeding Khamenei “who isn’t keen to undergo Trump’s coverage calls for”.
“It doesn’t seem that he’ll discover that particular person from throughout the present Iranian system,” Parsi stated.
Trump’s emphasis on the Venezuelan mannequin in latest days seems to contradict his preliminary name for “freedom” in Iran, together with urging the individuals to stand up in opposition to their authorities.
The US president has not dominated out deploying US troops on the ground inside Iran.
Trump had stated beforehand that he had individuals in thoughts to take over Khamenei, however they had been killed within the opening US-Israeli strikes.
Nonetheless, the main figures seen as potential successors to Khamenei, who was 86, together with his son Mojtaba, Hassan Khomeini – the grandson of the chief of the 1979 Islamic revolution Ruhollah Khomeini – and outstanding cleric Alireza Arafi, are nonetheless alive.
Khamenei’s successor can be chosen by an elected council of 88 members referred to as the Meeting of Consultants.
Earlier this week, Israel focused the Assembly of Experts constructing within the holy metropolis of Qom.
Some Israeli and US media studies claimed that the council was assembly for the supreme chief choice in the course of the assault, however Iran denied the claims, saying that the constructing was empty, and that the date for choosing the brand new chief had not been set.
