Trump Warns Iran’s New Leader Khamenei’s Son Needs US Approval to Survive

By Ifeyinwa Ike

United States President, Donald Trump has declared on Sunday that Iran’s newly named Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, won’t last long without Washington’s approval, intensifying pressure amid escalating missile exchanges and regional chaos.

In an ABC News interview, Trump insisted: “He’s going to have to get approval from us. If he doesn’t… he’s not going to last long.” He suggested supporting a successor, even from the old regime if suitable, to avoid future conflicts or nuclear threats, claiming Iran plotted Middle East domination before recent blows exposed it as a paper tiger.
Military options, including special forces raids on uranium sites, remain on the table.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini threatened “advanced long-range missiles” next, after early strikes. Saudi Arabia mourned two killed and 12 wounded by a projectile in Al Kharj; Kuwait’s airport fuel tanks and Bahrain’s desalination plant were hit.

Iran reported 1,200 civilian deaths, 10,000 wounded; Lebanon tallied 394 killed in Israeli strikes, including 83 children.

Trump attended a dignified transfer for six US troops lost to a Kuwait drone attack. Analysts foresee a drawn-out war; Pope Leo XIV pleaded for dialogue to silence the bomb