As Iran war expands, Trump says he must have a role in choosing the country's next leader
WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters on Thursday the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran and said it would be "wonderful" if Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq were to cross into Iran to launch attacks on security forces there.
Trump said in a telephone interview that he thinks the next leader of Iran is unlikely to be the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, who has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed his father, who was killed in a military strike at the start of the war.
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"We're going to have to choose that person along with Iran. We're going to have to choose that person," Trump said.
Trump also encouraged Iranian Kurdish forces to go on the offensive, speaking six days after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday. The conflict has killed more than 1,000 people, including at least six U.S. service members, and caused damage and instability throughout the Middle East.
"I think it's wonderful that they want to do that, I'd be all for it," the president said.
On leadership succession in the Islamic Republic, the Republican U.S. president drew a parallel to Venezuela, where U.S. forces removed President Nicolas Maduro in January, leaving in charge Delcy Rodriguez, his number two, who Trump said "has done a wonderful job."
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"We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future, so we don't have to go back every five years and do this again and again. We want somebody that's going to be great for the people, great for the country," Trump said.
He did not elaborate after saying that Khamenei's son Mojtaba, who has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed him, was an unlikely choice.
Asked whether exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, was a possibility, Trump said, "I think everybody's in the mix. It's very early."
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OPEN TO KURDISH INTERVENTION
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, as a patch of blemished skin is visible above his shirt collar, during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
When asked if the U.S. would provide or had offered air cover for Iranian Kurdish forces who are considering an intervention in western Iran, Trump responded, "I can't tell you that," but added that the objective for the Kurds would be "to win."
