Trump Calls Iran’s New Supreme Leader ‘Big Mistake’

At a gathering of congressional Republicans at his golf club in Doral, Florida, Trump told NBC News “I think they (Iran) made a big mistake” in selecting Mojtaba Khamenei and earlier described Ali Khamenei’s son as a “light weight.”

““I think they (Iran) made a big mistake” in selecting Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump told NBC News”

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He said it is “too soon to talk about” seizing Iran’s oil but that he “doesn’t rule it out.”

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Trump called the war against Iran a “short-term excursion,” saying, “We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some people,” and insisted the United States and Israel “haven’t won enough,” calling for “ultimate victory.”

The 79-year-old repeated boasts about the destruction of the Iranian navy, air force and missile programme and warned the US “will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated.”

US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused Iran of trying to “hold the world hostage” through retaliatory missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region and said the United States remains “well on our way” to achieving its objectives.

Speaking at a State Department event honouring wrongfully detained Americans and hostages, Rubio said Iran was “attacking neighbouring countries, their energy infrastructure, their civilian population,” and described the mission’s objective as “to destroy their ability to continue to do that.”

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He referenced the February 28 US and Israeli attacks on Iran that included the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and noted that Iran has since launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and Gulf Arab states that host US military bases.

Rubio also highlighted the case of Robert Levinson, saying Levinson’s presumed death underscored “the nature of the regime that we’re dealing with in Tehran,” and he framed the regime as founded, in part, “on an assault on the brave men and women of our foreign and civil service.”

Iran’s Assembly of Experts announced on Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei, had been selected as Iran’s new supreme leader, and Chinese and Russian reactions followed swiftly.

““I think they (Iran) made a big mistake” in selecting Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump told NBC News”

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Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, saying he was confident Khamenei would continue his father’s work “with honour,” unite the Iranian people “in the face of severe trials,” and that Russia would confirm “unwavering support for Tehran and solidarity with our Iranian friends.”

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, described the election as a decision based on Iran’s constitution, said China had noticed relevant media reports, and warned against any targeting of Khamenei by the US-Israeli military campaign.

The article notes Mojtaba Khamenei was born in 1969.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that the longer the war with Iran continues, the greater the likely impact on the UK economy and on households and businesses.

Addressing the conflict, Starmer said government officials were working across departments, with the chancellor speaking to the governor of the Bank of England, to assess and monitor risks and to work with international partners to reduce the likely economic impact.

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He urged preparation and cross-departmental action, saying it was important to “get ahead of that, to look around the corner, assess the risk, monitor the risks, and work with others” to protect people and businesses.