Iran Is Not Venezuela: Why Trump's Move to Appoint a Successor to Khamenei Is Seen as Merely Wishful Thinking

Iran will not bow to the ultimatum set by U.S. President Donald Trump. Iranian officials rejected Donald Trump’s calls for involvement in selecting the country’s next Supreme Leader, stressing that only the Iranian people can determine their country’s future.

Iran’s Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Friday appeared to mock the U.S. president’s assertion that he wants to meddle in the appointment of the successor to the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

‘The fate of dear Iran, more valuable than life, will be determined solely by the proud Iranian people, not by the Epstein gang,’ Ghalibaf wrote on X, referring to the late sex offender who had connections with wealthy and influential figures in the U.S., including Trump.

Earlier on Friday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh noted that under the U.S. federal system, Trump does not have authority over the selection of mayors in New York.

‘Can you imagine this colonial approach – that he wants to see democracy at home, but he wants to overthrow Iran’s democratically elected president?’ Khatibzadeh said at the Raisina Dialogue conference in New Delhi.

In recent days, the U.S. president has repeatedly said that he wants the Venezuela scenario to occur in Iran. The scenario would involve maintaining the governing structure, but replacing the leadership with someone willing to meet Washington’s demands.

‘What I am saying is that there must be a leader who is fair and wise. Do the job well. Treat the United States and Israel well, and treat other Middle East countries well – they are all our partners,’ Trump told CNN on Thursday.

The day before, he told Axios that he should be involved in the appointment of the new Supreme Leader, just as in the Venezuelan presidential election of Delcy Rodríguez after U.S. forces abducted his predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, in January.