Trump Weighs In on Iran's Future Leadership

US President Donald Trump commented on Iran's future leadership during remarks at the White House.

On Reza Pahlavi and Domestic Leadership

Regarding Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's former shah, President Trump described him as a "very nice person" and acknowledged that "some people like him."
However, Trump stated that he would favor a leader currently within Iran.

"Somebody that's there, that's currently popular, if there is such a person."

Dwindling List of Preferred Candidates

President Trump indicated that the United States might soon deplete its list of preferred candidates for Iranian leadership due to previous actions taken against the current leadership.

"Most of the people we had in mind are dead … pretty soon we're not going to know anybody."

Concerns Over Succession

Trump also expressed a concern regarding potential succession.

"I guess the worst case would be we do this, and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right?"

Meeting Context

These comments were made while President Trump was meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had mentioned that discussions would include "the day after" scenarios.