Trump slams Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment as Iran projects defiance

Donald Trump said he is "not happy" with the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader and told Time magazine he wanted to be "involved in the selection."

“Donald Trump says he is “not happy” with the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader”

Al Jazeera

The United States president had warned repeatedly against electing the son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran intensified.

Al Jazeera

Two days after Trump’s comments, Iran’s Assembly of Experts replaced the slain Khamenei with his 56-year-old son.

Trump suggested the new leader "may be targeted and killed like his father," saying "I don’t know if it’s going to last. I think they made a mistake."

He declined to detail plans in a New York Post interview, saying only "Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Mojtaba Khamenei was "not the change" the US wanted and predicted "it's just a matter of time before he meets the same fate as that of his father."

Commentator Mark Levin posted "Get the boy Khamenei!"

Al Jazeera

The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28 that killed Khamenei and several top officials in the opening strikes.

The article says those opening strikes were followed by thousands of attacks that "devastated the country" and claimed the lives of more than 1,250 people.

Iran responded with hundreds of missiles and drone launches against Israel and US military assets.

Iran struck energy installations and civilian targets in the Gulf and largely succeeded in closing down the Hormuz Strait.

War has also broken out between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Despite the regional turmoil and a historic spike in oil prices, Trump has said he is seeking Iran’s "unconditional surrender" and told CBS News the war was progressing "very far ahead of schedule."

“Donald Trump says he is “not happy” with the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader”

Al Jazeera

He added, "I think the war is very complete, pretty much," and said Iran has "nothing left" militarily.

Tehran ridiculed Trump’s assertions: Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran’s fate would be decided by Iranians themselves, not by Jeffrey Epstein’s "gang."

Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council, said Trump’s rejection of Mojtaba likely boosted the new leader’s candidacy and argued the US president has "lost control of the conflict," noting Iran has withstood the initial onslaught, the military has kept up fire, Hormuz is closed, oil prices have skyrocketed and the blowback has been "strong and intense."

Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss accused Trump of lacking a clear war plan, called both Khamenei father and son "terrorist dictator[s]," warned of escalated attacks and a "race for nuclear capability," and wrote "Mr President, wtf is your plan?"

The article notes Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon.