After months of tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump, along with Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury against the Middle Eastern country, thereby taking down Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. With the attack dubbed successful by the Trump administration, it now leaves the question of who will take charge of the country after the military campaign is over.
Uncertainty still looms over the ideal candidate to take over the country. Meanwhile, Trump has come clean about a blunder that occurred during the initial strikes carried out in Iran by the United States.
Speaking to ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, the president acknowledged that the attack on Iran was “so successful ,it knocked out most of the candidates.”
Trump stated that his administration will now have to look for a new leader to replace Khamenei as both their second and third choice for potential candidates were also killed in the strikes.
Pres Trump told me tonight the US had identified possible candidates to take over Iran, but they were killed in the initial attack.
“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump told me. “It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because…
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) March 2, 2026
As a result, the United States will take time looking for the next candidate to bring order to the country. Karl discussed it on ABC News, stating that the president told him that someone from the Iranian government had reached out to him.
When Karl pressed for the person’s identity, Trump replied, “I probably shouldn’t tell you, but it was, you know, somebody who had survived. And somebody, he added, is no longer reporting to the supreme leader.”
According to a report by The New York Times, Trump said that he intends to continue his assault on the Middle Eastern country for four to five weeks. Additionally, the president stated that working alongside Israel would help maintain the intensity of the battle, also warning that more American lives might be lost in the process.
During a brief telephonic interview with Karl, Trump seemed to provide contradictory views of how power will be distributed in the new regime. One of the options he might consider is a similar outcome to that in Venezuela, removing only the top leader, while keeping the rest of the structure intact.
Our plan was so successful that it ruined our plan. Genius.
— Dj Omega Mvp (@DjOmegaMVP) March 2, 2026
However, keeping the remainder of the government intact would be risky and complex because it has “sustained an active nuclear program,” the president said. The New York Times mentioned that Trump’s unreliable words demonstrate the administration’s lack of vision about their next actions on the battlefield, as well as on how to replace the government in Tehran.
During the call, Trump mentioned there are “three very good choices,” but declined to name them. Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, a top security official in Iran, said that an interim committee would run the country until a successor was chosen.
Trump kept the names anonymous and avoided answering whether Larijani is fit to run the government as bombings in Iran continue.
