In this photograph released by the White House on February 28, President Donald Trump is leading the "Epic Fury" operation alongside Secretary of State
In his speech, Trump noted that discussions regarding the candidacy of Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, are pointless. "He is not a serious contender," said the U.S. president. "I should be involved in the appointment process, as was the case with Delcy in Venezuela. Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We are looking for a candidate who can bring peace and consensus to Iran," Trump added.
Delcy Rodriguez has been serving as the acting president of Venezuela since January, when her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, was overthrown by U.S. forces, where she previously held the position of vice president.
Later, Trump mentioned in an interview with NBC News his desire for the complete removal of all leadership layers in Iran and revealed that he has several options for a "worthy leader."
As reported by BBC correspondent Will Grant, it is hard to imagine how exactly Trump could be involved in the selection of a new Iranian leader.
In the Trump administration, it was believed that a key advantage of Delcy Rodriguez is her willingness to end U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, which led to the overthrow of Nicolás Maduro.
This also gave the U.S. the opportunity to control significant oil reserves in Venezuela. However, the situation in South America is fundamentally different from that in the Middle East, as are the governments of these countries.
Although the Trump administration seems ready to engage with the remnants of Maduro's regime, it is difficult to imagine how the U.S. president will be directly involved in the election of a new head of the Islamic theocracy.
