Iran rejects Trump’s role in the leadership election, and says his successor will be determined internally

Iran’s top diplomat firmly rejected the notion that the United States could influence the selection of his country’s next supreme leader, insisting that the decision rests entirely in the hands of the Iranian people and its institutions.

Speaking on Sunday, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, also demanded that US President Donald Trump apologize for the conflict that erupted following recent US-Israeli military actions against Iran.

“We do not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. It is up to the Iranian people to choose their new leader,” Araghchi said during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.

His comments came after Trump renewed his claim that Washington should play a role in approving Iran’s next supreme leader following the death of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial stages of the US-Israel offensive launched nine days ago.

Trump reiterated his position during an interview with ABC News, saying that Tehran’s next leader would need American support to stay in power.

“He has to get our approval,” Trump told ABC News. “If he doesn’t get our approval, he won’t last long.”

Iranian authorities have not yet publicly announced who Khamenei’s successor will be. However, state media reported that the clerical body responsible for selecting the country’s top leader—the Assembly of Experts—had held a vote and would soon announce the chosen candidate.

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Some clerics have argued that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could emerge as the new leader, although Trump has previously rejected that possibility.

“We have to wait for the Assembly of Experts to convene and elect the new supreme leader, and whom they choose,” Araghchi told NBC.

Trump also indicated that he would not rule out a successor linked to the political forces that ruled Iran before the Iranian Revolution, which turned the country into an Islamic republic.

“There are a lot of people who could qualify,” he said.

Apart from rejecting American involvement in Iran’s leadership transition, Araghchi also accused the United States of inciting regional conflict and asked Trump to issue an apology.

He said the US president “should apologize to the people of the region and the people of Iran for the murder and destruction they have committed against us.”

Araghchi also defended Iran’s military attacks carried out during the conflict, explaining that attacks targeting Gulf states were aimed at US military facilities stationed there.

“It was America who started the war against us, attacked us, and we defended ourselves. So it is clear that our missiles cannot reach US territory,” Araghchi said.

“What we can do is attack American bases and American installations around us, which unfortunately are on the territory of our neighboring countries.”

Trump argued that Iran’s missile capabilities would soon expand to threaten the United States. However, a 2025 US intelligence assessment showed that Tehran had not yet developed an intercontinental ballistic missile, suggesting it would take until around 2035 for the country to have such a long-range weapon.