After Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in the U.S.-Israeli air strikes, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei has now become the country’s next supreme leader. However, President Donald Trump is “not happy” about it.
Trump said on Monday, March 9, that he is unhappy with the idea of Mojtaba becoming Iran’s next supreme leader. The president further warned that the 56-year-old might struggle to live peacefully if he takes power.
Trump made the comments during a discussion with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, D.C., from Miami, the president said, “I don’t believe he can live in peace.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP on Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei: “I was disappointed because we think it’s gonna lead to just more of the same problem for the country. So I was disappointed to see their choice.” pic.twitter.com/3ELoP8e69b
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 9, 2026
The 79-year-old discussed how he believed the Tehran government “want to talk badly” about ending the ongoing war involving the U.S. and Israel. The conflict entered its 11th day on Tuesday, March 10.
“It’s possible, depends on what terms, possible, only possible. You know, we sort of don’t have to speak anymore, you know, if you really think about it, but it’s possible,” the president said.
Earlier on March 9, Trump spoke to reporters at the Trump National Doral Miami — his golf resort in Florida. During the interaction, he praised the U.S. military operation against Iran, which is being dubbed as Operation Epic Fury.
“They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment, it’s all been blown up,” Trump said about Iran’s military strength. “They have no radar. They have no telecommunications, and they have no leadership. It’s all gone,” he stated.
He continued, “So, you know, you could look at that statement. We could, we could call it a tremendous success right now as we leave here. I could call it, or we could go further and we’re going to go further.”
With the military operation beginning on February 28, Trump defended the timing of the launch of the attacks. He claimed that waiting a few more days could have been dangerous. “If we had waited three days, I believe we would have been attacked,” Trump said.
BREAKING: TRUMP ON IRAN WAR:
If we didn’t do that B-2 attack, Israel would have been wiped out. pic.twitter.com/yhJlDvUUHB
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) March 9, 2026
“When we attacked them first, we knocked out 50 percent of their missiles, and if we didn’t, it would have been a much harder fight,” the president had said. He went on, “No other president had the guts to do it… I didn’t want some president who hasn’t got the courage in five years or ten years to go in.”
Reflecting on his decision to launch the military strikes against Iran, Trump also opened up about his concerns for Mojtaba. Given the fact that he was neither properly selected by Iran’s succession council, nor won a majority in vote, Trump believes the 56-year-old might struggle with power.
