Trump: Iran's New Leader 'won't Last Long' Without U.S. Approval

• 8.03.2026, 21:04

Iran has identified a new supreme leader but has not named him.

The United States must endorse Iran's new supreme leader before he is elected, United States President Donald Trump has said. Otherwise, the new leader "won't last long," the American president added.

"If he doesn't get our approval, he won't last long. I don't want people to have to go back in five years and do the same thing again, or worse, allow them (Iranian authorities) to have nuclear weapons," Trump said on ABC News.

Donald Trump admitted that he might approve a person associated with the current regime as Iran's new leader. "I would agree. There are a lot of people who would be a good fit."

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated on Feb. 28, the first day of a joint U.S.-Israeli operation against the Islamic republic. On March 8, Iran's Council of Experts reported that elections for the country's new leader have been held and a candidate has been identified. His name has not yet been disclosed.