U.S. President Donald Trump has made a startling claim that he already has a preferred candidate in mind to lead Iran, even as he declared that the ongoing war involving the United States and Israel has severely crippled Tehran’s military capabilities.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News cited by Reuters, Trump said the military campaign against Iran is progressing more quickly than he initially expected and described the conflict as nearing completion.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force,” Trump told CBS News.
The conflict began on February 28 after U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran, triggering retaliatory attacks from Tehran against Israel and Gulf nations hosting American military bases. The escalation has reportedly resulted in significant casualties inside Iran, including the death of longtime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Following his death, Iran named his son Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader — a development that has drawn criticism from Washington.
When asked if he had any message for the newly appointed leader, Trump responded bluntly. “I have no message for him,” Trump said of Mojtaba Khamenei.
However, the U.S. president went further, hinting that Washington could influence Iran’s future leadership. “I have someone in mind to lead Iran,” he said, without revealing the identity of the individual.
Trump also said the war timeline has moved faster than anticipated, noting that the United States is already “very far” ahead of the four-to-five-week schedule he had earlier projected.
The conflict has also rattled global energy markets, particularly around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments normally pass.
“Ships are moving through now,” Trump said during the interview, adding that he is “thinking about taking it over.”
Trump has also criticized Iran’s decision to elevate Mojtaba Khamenei, saying the leadership choice was a serious miscalculation by Tehran.
“I think they made a big mistake,” Trump said, while earlier dismissing the new Iranian leader as a “light weight” amid the escalating geopolitical tensions in the region.