Trump wants to choose the next leader of Iran
As the attacks between the United States, Israel and Iran reach six days, Donald Trump dropped a political bomb. In an interview with Axios, the former president said that he must be involved in the election of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s successor.
“I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela,” Trump said.
He thus referred to the Venezuelan interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, who took office after a US military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro. Trump also dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son and main contender, calling him “a lightweight.”
The war gives no respite
Meanwhile, fighting spreads across the region. Israel ordered the mass evacuation of the southern suburbs of Beirut, anticipating intense bombings against Hezbollah. UN blue helmets already report ground clashes in southern Lebanon.
The US Navy sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka. Tehran promised to make them “bitterly regret” that action, which left at least 87 dead.
“Mark my words: the United States will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set,” warned Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
An Iranian cleric went further in a televised message: he called for the shedding of “Israeli blood” and “Trump’s blood.” An unusual call from the highest Shiite religious circles.
The conflict is globalizing
The attacks already affect 14 countries outside the epicenter. Azerbaijan accused Iran of a drone attack near its airport – which Tehran denies – and instructed its military to prepare retaliation.
In the Gulf, Bahrain reported that a missile hit a state refinery. Kuwait closed its US embassy after being targeted by missiles. Qatar evacuated areas near the US embassy in Doha.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz – through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes – caused crude oil prices to skyrocket. The death toll exceeds 1,230 in Iran, more than 100 in Lebanon and a dozen in Israel. Six American soldiers have died.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made it clear that any future Iranian leader who threatens Israel “will be a target for elimination.” While Trump talks about influencing the succession from outside, inside Iran bullets and missiles continue to define the present.
