‘Disappointed To See Their Choice’: Trump On Iran Naming Mojtaba Khamenei As Supreme Leader

Last Updated:March 10, 2026, 07:43 IST

Speaking at a press conference in Florida, Trump said, “We think it's going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country.”

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was “disappointed" over Iran’s decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US-Israel-Iran War LIVE

Responding to a reporter’s question in Washington on whether the new Iranian leader had a target on his back, Trump said, “I don’t want to say that, but I was disappointed to see their choice."

Also Read: Trump Warns Iran Of ’20 Times Harder’ Response If Strait Of Hormuz Blocked

Earlier, speaking at a press conference in Florida, Trump said, “We think it’s going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country."

When pressed on whether Mojtaba Khamenei could be targeted, Trump said it would be “inappropriate" to comment on that.

The remarks come amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran following recent military strikes. Earlier in the day, addressing the Republican Members’ Issues Conference, Trump said the US had achieved significant gains against Iran but vowed to push for what he termed “ultimate victory."

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“We have won in many ways, but haven’t won enough. We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all," he said.

He added that the world would be a “much safer place" once the operation concludes and said, “it’s going to get finished pretty quickly".

Also Read: Iran’s IRGC Responds To Trump, Says It Will Be The One Who Will ‘Determine The End Of War’

Defending the US strikes on Iran, Trump said, “If we didn’t go in, they would have come in after us…Within a week, they were going to attack us 100 per cent. They were ready. They had all these missiles far more than anyone thought and they were going to attack us. They were going to attack all of the Middle East and Israel. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would have used it on Israel. This was going to be a major attack. They had all of those missile sites and all those launchers that we got rid of about 80 per cent of them right now…They have very few launchers left. What our military has done is amazing…"

Trump also said US forces targeted drone manufacturing sites in Iran. “The drones have been knocked out and we’re hitting where they make the drones… Lot of work, lot of brilliant work but we’re going to have a much safer world as soon as it’s finished, and it’s going to get finished pretty quickly," he said.

Also Read: ‘We’re Waiving Certain Oil-Related Sanctions’: Trump As Energy Prices Surge Amid Iran War

He further claimed that, along with Israeli partners, Iran was being “crushed" through a display of military force.

“Iran’s drone and missile capability is being utterly demolished. The Navy is gone. It’s all lying at the bottom of the ocean. 46 ships, can you believe it? In fact I got a little upset with our people. When I said ‘what quality of ship?’ they said ‘excellent, sir. Top of the line’. I said ‘Why didn’t we just capture the ships? We could use it. Why did we sink them?’ They said it is more fun to sink them. They like them sinking better. They say it is safer to sink them, I guess it’s probably true," Trump said.

News world ‘Disappointed To See Their Choice’: Trump On Iran Naming Mojtaba Khamenei As Supreme Leader

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