Trump Expects Role in Choosing Iran’s Next Leader After Khamenei’s Death
President Donald Trump has stated he must be “involved in the appointment” of Iran’s next leader and would not accept a successor who continues the policies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died following U.S. And Israeli strikes on Saturday, February 28, 2026.1
Is Trump Serious?
Analysts suggest Trump is signaling a commitment to sustained pressure on Iran until a leadership amenable to his administration is in place. Arash Azizi, a lecturer at Yale University and Iranian-American historian, told CNN, “It’s clear that President Trump is signaling to Tehran that he wants to fight until there is a leadership in Tehran that he finds amenable, and acceptable.”3 He further emphasized that this is “not a war about nuclear weapons, it’s not a war about missile capability… It is a war about Iranian leadership. It’s about who gets to rule in Tehran.”3
Challenges to U.S. Influence
Despite Trump’s assertion, experts believe direct U.S. Influence over the selection of Iran’s next Supreme Leader is unlikely. Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Foundation for Defense Democracies’s Iran program, pointed out that Iran’s state structure, society, and military are “drastically different” from Venezuela, which Trump cited as a model for regime change.3
Iranian institutions remain functional, and the regime is actively engaged in a “ferocious struggle over who can become supreme leader,” according to Azizi.3 A three-person temporary leadership council is currently managing the supreme leader’s powers while the Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics, works to choose a successor.4
Potential Successors
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader, has emerged as a potential frontrunner, possessing strong ties to the Revolutionary Guards and significant behind-the-scenes influence.4 However, Trump has already deemed Mojtaba Khamenei “unacceptable.”4
Azizi suggests that Trump’s insistence on having a say raises the stakes. “By saying, ‘I need to have a say,’ it means that the next leader either needs to be someone that he accepts, or he’s going to have egg on his face.”3