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Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister on Friday dismissed US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he should have a say in choosing Iran’s next leader, mocking that the American leader “cannot even appoint a mayor of New York”. He described the ongoing US-Israel offensive as an “existential war” for Tehran and asserted that Iran would work to end the American presence in the Persian Gulf.
The minister Saeed Khatibzadeh's remarks at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi came amid the intensifying US-Iran conflict that began with the February 28 US-Israel strikes which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a widening regional war now completing a week.
“President Trump is asking for change in the leadership of Iran, and he says that I have to have a voice on that, while he cannot appoint even the mayor of New York," the minister said, alluding to the recent victory of Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral election. Mamdani was a vocal Trump critic who has been repeatedly targeted with sharp remarks by the US President.
On Thursday, Trump said he should be involved in selecting Iran’s next supreme leader after the killing of Ali Khamenei in the opening phase of the ongoing US-Israel strikes on Iran. He also ruled out Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who had been widely seen as a frontrunner to succeed his father.
“We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela,” Trump said.
Strongly criticising the US military action, Khatibzadeh described the ongoing conflict as an “existential war” for Tehran and accused Israel of dragging Washington into the confrontation due to the “delusion about Greater Israel”.
“Everybody knows, from Saudi Arabia to Oman, that this is Israel’s war. They dragged the Americans into this war because they have this delusion of a ‘Greater Israel.’ They know that this war is meant to stop Israelis from pursuing that delusion,” he said at the conference on geopolitics.
He also warned that Iran would work to end the American military presence in the Persian Gulf region. “We have no option but to put an end to the existence of American presence in the Persian Gulf area,” the minister said.
Khatibzadeh reacted sharply, questioning which conflict in the world has seen one country assassinate the head of another state, and warned that such an act would set an extremely dangerous precedent.
“Should the head of a state be targeted when there are problems between countries? This is unprecedented. If this becomes the new norm, then it is extremely dangerous,” he said.
Responding to accusations that Iran is a threat to the region, he also asked rhetorically: “Are US radars in the Gulf there for fishing in the Persian Gulf?”
The United States, in coordination with Israel, launched massive airstrikes on Iran on February 28, saying the operation was aimed at thwarting Tehran’s alleged attempts to develop nuclear weapons. The attack came even as Tehran and Washington were engaged in talks to reach a deal. The strikes reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several key government figures, and severely crippled parts of the country’s military and administrative structures.
Iran retaliated strongly with missile strikes on Israel while also targeting US bases and interests in the Middle East and the Gulf, widening the conflict across the region. The war continued on Friday with both sides carrying out fresh bombardments, with more than 1,000 people reported killed in Iran.
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Published On:
Mar 6, 2026 11:54 IST
