At the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Khatibzadeh took a swipe at former US President Donald Trump over his comments on Iran’s leadership succession.
According to the Iranian official, Trump—whom he said could not even “elect the mayor of New York”—was now insisting that the United States should have a role in choosing Iran’s next Supreme Leader. He described the claim as “ridiculous.”
The remarks came after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was recently killed in an attack attributed to the US and Israel, the report said. Trump subsequently argued that Washington should influence Iran’s selection process, comparing it to what he claimed was a US role in changing Venezuela’s president.
Khatibzadeh also said the conflict with Israel was widely understood across the region, from Saudi Arabia to Oman, and alleged that Israel had drawn the US into the war. He added that Iran would continue efforts to end the US military presence in the Gulf.
He warned that targeting a country’s leader amid disputes was unprecedented and could become a dangerous global precedent. Questioning US claims about an “Iran threat,” he also asked why American radars were stationed in the Gulf if not for military purposes.
The report noted that a Democratic Party leader, Zohran Mamdani—despite Trump’s opposition—was recently elected New York mayor, which the Iranian minister cited while criticising Trump.
