Trump on what Iran’s next leader must do: 'Treat US, Israel well and other countries in Middle East'

US President Donald Trump said Iran’s leadership has been severely weakened and suggested the country now needs new leadership that maintains fair relations with the United States and its regional allies. Speaking in a phone interview with CNN on Friday (March 6), Trump claimed Iran’s position had dramatically changed over the past week and argued that the country no longer holds the same strength it once did. “Iran is not the same country it was a week ago,” he told CNN in a brief phone interview. “A week ago they were powerful, and now they’ve been indeed neutered.”

Trump also expressed confidence that selecting a new leader in Iran would not be difficult, adding that he believes the United States should play a role in the process. He compared the situation to developments in Venezuela earlier this year, when the US captured former president Nicolas Maduro and his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, assumed power. “It’s gonna work very easily. It’s going to work like did in Venezuela. We have a wonderful leader there. She’s doing a fantastic job. And it’s going to work Iike in Venezuela,” he said, referring to acting president Delcy Rodriguez.

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The president added that he would not oppose a religious figure becoming Iran’s leader, saying the system of governance is less important than the leader’s approach toward the United States and its allies. “Well I may be yeah, I mean, it depends on who the person is. I don’t mind religious leaders. I deal with a lot of religious leaders and they are fantastic,” he said. When pressed on whether Iran should become a democratic state, Trump suggested that democracy was not necessarily a requirement, emphasizing instead the need for a fair and cooperative leader. “No, I’m saying there has to be a leader that’s going be fair and just. Do a great job. Treat the United States and Israel well, and treat the other countries in the Middle East, they’re all our partners.”

Trump also pointed to what he described as stronger ties with several Middle Eastern countries during his leadership, claiming those relationships helped bring regional partners closer to Washington. “And I became very friendly with all those countries. That’s why they’re all fighting for us. Before I got involved, we didn’t even speak to UAE and Saudi Arabia. You know, (President Joe) Biden shut out. Biden and (President Barack) Obama shut Saudi Arabia, UAE Qatar, he shut them all out. They were all going to go to China, and I got involved in very short period of time that became my friends,” Trump said.

The president also praised the US military operation against Iran, describing it as highly successful and suggesting that it had dealt a significant blow to the country’s naval forces. When asked about rising fuel prices, Trump said he was not concerned and expected the situation to improve soon. “That’s all right. It’ll be short term time. It’ll go way down very quickly,” he said. Trump also claimed the operation had severely damaged Iran’s naval capabilities. “We’ve knocked their Navy because, you know, when you knock out the Navy, they can’t do what they wanted to be able to do. The Navy is almost, we just hit about the 25 mark. Can you imagine that? Big ones, 25 ships are down,” he said.

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