Because the Iranians get nearer to naming their subsequent supreme chief, President Donald Trump mentioned Sunday the brand new chief “just isn’t going to final lengthy” if the Iranians do not get his approval first.
“He’s going to should get approval from us,” the president informed ABC Information. “If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to final lengthy. We need to be sure that we don’t have to return each 10 years, once you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.”
He added, “I don’t need individuals to have to return in 5 years and should do the identical factor once more or worse allow them to have a nuclear weapon.”
When requested if he can be keen to approve somebody with ties to the outdated regime, Trump replied, “I might, in an effort to select a superb chief I might, yeah, I might. There are quite a few individuals that might qualify.”
Seeming to supply one more justification for this struggle, Trump mentioned Iran was planning to take over your entire Center East, and advised he stopped them from doing so.
“They’re a paper tiger. They weren’t a paper tiger per week in the past, I’ll let you know. They usually had been going to assault,” he mentioned. “Their plan was to assault your entire Center East, to take over your entire Center East.”
He additionally hasn’t dominated out sending in particular forces to grab Iran’s enriched uranium: “Every thing is on the desk. Every thing.”
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters whereas touring aboard Air Power One en route from Dover Air Power Base, Del., to Miami, March 7, 2026.
Saul Loeb/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
A senior administration official informed reporters final week that Iran has enriched sufficient uranium to get to weapons grade materials in 10 days or much less.
A lot of the uranium is believed to be held on the websites bombed throughout Operation Midnight Hammer — Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow — in keeping with the official.
“In concept, if we had bodily management of that territory, if we had bodily management of these locations the place it is positioned, we may ship our individuals in and dilute it on premise,” the official mentioned.
Over the weekend, Trump met with the households of the six U.S. fallen troopers. Did witnessing the dignified transfers give him pause?
“No, under no circumstances,” he mentioned. “The mother and father can be upset if I did that. The mother and father mentioned to me, each certainly one of them, please sir, win this for my boy, and in a single case a younger girl, as you understand. Please, win this for my baby.”
He added, “It was a fantastic occasion. It was a fantastic, lovely occasion, the place I met the mother and father. They had been devastated however proud.”
Trump mentioned he wouldn’t predict how lengthy the struggle would final when pressed on a timeline.
“I don’t know. I by no means predict. All I can say is we’re forward of schedule each by way of lethality and by way of time,” he mentioned.
Final week, the president informed reporters this struggle would final simply 4 to 5 weeks.
Within the interview, the president additionally dismissed rising gasoline prices as a “little glitch.”
“I believe it’s high-quality. It’s a little bit glitch. We needed to take this detour,” he mentioned. “I knew precisely what was going to occur with the detour. However the good half is we sank 44 of their ships which is their complete navy. We’ve knocked out their complete AirForce. We’ve knocked out all of their communications, telecommunications. Their anti-aircraft methods are gone. They’ve completely no protection. All they’ve is speak.”
Among the president’s longtime supporters have raised questions about this operation, however Trump denied there’s been any pushback from his base.
“It’s extra standard than ever. It’s a really MAGA factor what we’re doing. A really very MAGA factor,” he mentioned. “As a result of in any other case we gained’t have a rustic both, we’ll be hit. And MAGA is all about saving America … I’m on the highest level I’ve ever been with MAGA.”
