In a significant escalation of rhetoric, United States President Donald Trump has, for the first time, publicly called for an end to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's rule in Iran. The remarks, made in an interview with Politico, mark the closest the US president has come to openly advocating for a change in the Iranian regime.
A Direct Call for New Leadership
President Trump did not mince words when speaking about Iran's top authority. "It's time to look for new leadership in Iran," Trump stated clearly. While his criticism appeared directed personally at the 86-year-old Khamenei rather than the broader Islamic Republic system, the demand signifies a sharp turn in Washington's official stance. This verbal intervention comes amidst ongoing turmoil within Iran following widespread protests.
Context of Threats and a Temporary Pullback
The president's latest comments follow a tense sequence of events. Just days before the interview, Trump had threatened military strikes against Iran if the regime proceeded with the planned executions of 800 protesters. He had urged demonstrators to "take over institutions" and assured them help was coming.
However, by Friday, Trump indicated he had moved away from the idea of striking Iran, expressing satisfaction after the regime allegedly agreed to cancel those mass executions. This shift suggested that his earlier threat was specifically tied to the planned killings, not the broader crackdown where the death count was said to be in the thousands. Trump had previously insisted some of those deaths were caused by stampedes.
A War of Words Across Continents
The exchange between the two leaders turned intensely personal. Shortly before Trump's interview, Khamenei took to Twitter to blame the US president for Iran's unrest. "We find the US president guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation," Khamenei wrote.
Trump fired back in his conversation with Politico, turning the accusation around. "What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before," the US president retorted. He further criticized Khamenei's leadership style, contrasting it with his own. "In order to keep the country functioning... the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control," Trump asserted.
He concluded with a scathing personal assessment: "The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people. His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership." When questioned about the potential scope of a US military strike, Trump pointed to the cancelled executions, saying, "The best decision [Khamenei] ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago."
This unprecedented direct call for Khamenei's removal adds a volatile new dimension to the already fraught US-Iran relationship, with implications for regional stability and global diplomacy.
