In an interview with NBC News, President Donald Trump reaffirmed his views on “Operation Epic Fury,” stating that he wants to see Tehran's leadership overhauled and that he has a few considerations for a "good leader."
"We want to go in and clean out everything," President Trump told the news outlet via phone call. "We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period.”
President Trump responded to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s recent comments made to NBC Nightly News host Tom Llamas, in which he assured that Tehran is prepared for a ground raid by U.S. and Israeli forces.
“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” President Trump remarked, calling Araghchi’s statement a “wasted comment.” The president instead guaranteed that the current strikes would continue intensifying.
President Trump’s interview expanded on statements he made in a previous interview with the publication over the weekend, in which he was asked who he thought would next lead the Islamic nation.
“I don’t know, but at some point, they’ll be calling me to ask who I’d like,” President Trump shared on Saturday, adding that he was “only being a little sarcastic.”
During the interview, President Trump reiterated his thoughts on the ongoing military operation, emphasizing, “We want them to have a good leader. We have some people who I think would do a good job,” without directly naming anyone.
Despite not revealing names, President Trump told NBC that his administration is taking steps to ensure that the people he’s considering survive the conflict.
Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rumors have begun to circulate that his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, will be chosen as the nation’s new supreme leader.
