Trump Gives Cold Response to Mojtaba Khamenei's Selection as Iran's New Leader

US President Donald Trump has given a cold and confrontational response to the Iranian Expert Assembly’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader, replacing his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a brief interview in Washington DC, Trump expressed his displeasure with the Iranian Expert Assembly’s decision. “We will see what happens. Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said, as quoted by Al Jazeera and CNN on Monday (9 March 2026).

Before the succession was formally announced, Trump had made harsh rhetorical statements that Iran’s new leader would not survive without Washington’s blessing. He even compared the situation to US intervention in Venezuela. “They are wasting time. I should be involved in this appointment,” he asserted the previous week.

America’s hardline stance is rooted in Mojtaba Khamenei’s track record of serving for decades as the “gatekeeper” for his father and maintaining extremely close ties with the elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Mojtaba has been on the US sanctions list since 2019, regarded as an extension of Iran’s destabilising regional policies.

Mojtaba’s selection comes whilst Iran remains on high alert following a combined US and Israeli air strike in late February that killed Ali Khamenei. International political analysts believe that by appointing Mojtaba, Iran deliberately sent a message of defiance to Trump.

Senior US Senator Lindsey Graham further inflamed tensions by calling Mojtaba’s appointment “not a change the world wanted”. Graham warned that if Mojtaba continues his father’s nuclear programme, he will face similar military consequences.

At the time of reporting, Iran had reportedly celebrated the selection of its new leader by launching several missiles towards military bases in the region as a symbol of strength under Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership.