US President Donald Trump stated that several candidates to lead Iran have died and suggested the US has identified other suitable names for the role, according to regional media, following the recent assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader.
Following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei earlier this month, US President Donald Trump commented publicly on the ongoing leadership vacuum in Tehran.
According to the Qatari state-funded network Al Jazeera—a major regional broadcaster whose editorial stance is typically aligned against US and Israeli military actions in the Middle East—Trump acknowledged the recent deaths of potential Iranian successors. In an urgent dispatch, the network quoted Trump stating: "Some candidates to lead Iran have died, and we have other names we think are suitable, and we will see what happens." The remarks were also cross-posted by the regional Telegram channel Hodhod.
Trump's comments follow the outbreak of an unprecedented regional war in March 2026, initiated by the joint US-Israeli Operation "Epic Wrath." The military campaign targeted thousands of Iranian sites and successfully eliminated Khamenei alongside senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials. Tehran is currently operating under a temporary leadership council amid widespread regional hostilities, mass evacuations, and significant retaliatory strikes.
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