Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has firmly rejected suggestions that the United States should influence the selection of the country’s next supreme leader, insisting that the decision rests solely with Iran.
Speaking during an interview with reporters, Araghchi said the Iranian people, through their constitutional institutions, will determine who succeeds the late leader, Ali Khamenei.
“We allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs. This is up to the Iranian people to elect their new leader,” the Iranian foreign minister said.
His comments came after former U.S. president Donald Trump suggested that he should have a role in deciding who becomes Iran’s next supreme leader following Khamenei’s death during the early phase of joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Trump has also publicly opposed the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late leader, taking over the powerful position.
However, Araghchi declined to comment on potential successors, stating that the process of selecting a new leader was still ongoing.
He explained that the final decision would be made by the Assembly of Experts, the influential clerical body responsible under Iran’s constitution for appointing the country’s supreme leader.
Iranian state media earlier reported that the assembly had already voted on a successor and that an announcement could be made soon.
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During the interview, Araghchi also called on Trump to apologise to Iran and the wider Middle East for what he described as destruction caused by the ongoing conflict.
According to him, the United States initiated the war by launching attacks on Iran alongside Israel.
“It is Americans who started this war against us. We are defending ourselves,” he said.
Araghchi also defended Iran’s recent missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region, stating that the attacks were aimed at American military installations rather than neighbouring countries.
He explained that because Iranian missiles cannot reach the United States directly, Iran had targeted U.S. military bases located in nearby countries.
Meanwhile, Trump has warned that Iran could eventually develop missiles capable of striking American territory.
However, a U.S. intelligence assessment released in 2025 concluded that Iran does not yet possess intercontinental ballistic missiles and may not develop such weapons until around 2035.
The political tensions surrounding Iran’s leadership transition are unfolding as military confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States continues to escalate across the Middle East.
