Trump says he wants to be involved in picking Iran's next leader as war ripples across the region
Some holding pictures of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, mourners reach out to coffins during a funeral for people killed during the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Isfahan, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Payman Shahsanaei/ISNA via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader as the U.S. and Israel hammered the country for a sixth day. Iran kept up retaliatory attacks on Israel, American bases and countries around the region.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that American firepower over Tehran was “about to surge dramatically.” The Israeli military said strikes have already destroyed most of Iran's air defenses and missile launchers.
Trump ruled out Mojtaba Khamenei, a front-runner to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war. Trump’s comments to the American news website Axios were likely to renew questions about whether the U.S.
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