US President Donald Trump told American media outlet Axios that he should be personally involved in choosing Iran's next leader.
"Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran," Axios quoted Trump as saying in an interview, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei.
Mojtaba has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed his late father as Iran's supreme leader, after years of forging close ties with the elite Revolutionary Guard and building influence in the clerical establishment. A staunch hardliner, his election would be a strong gesture of defiance.
"I should be involved in the nomination, like with Delcy (Rodriguez) in Venezuela," Trump said.
