United States President Donald Trump has affirmed that he would support the assassination of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader, by Israel, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The remarks came days after Trump expressed strong disapproval over Mojtaba's election as the new leader. Upon his succession to the top Iranian post, he had said that Mojtaba Khamenei would not be able to "live in peace".
US officials reportedly said that the operation would likely be led by Israeli forces, akin to the February 28 strike that killed his father and former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
However, Trump has laid one condition behind his support for such an action. He said that he would back Mojtaba's assassination only if Iran does not cooperate with US demands.
Trump's main demand is that Tehran trash its nuclear weapons programme.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint airstrikes of the US and Israel on February 28, under Operation Epic Fury. The attack drew a retaliatory response from Iran. Tehran targeted Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, having US bases and assets being used against it. As part of Iran's response, countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman were targeted.
Amid war, Mojtaba was appointed as the new leader on March 8. The New York Post report had claimed that senior Khamenei did not want Mojtaba to succeed him. However, Mojtaba has a deep influence on and connections to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which pushed him into the position.
The claim, though unverified, contradicts Mojtaba's role as part of senior Khamenei's inner circle. He is the only son of Ali Khamenei, who was involved in state affairs from behind the scenes and is a hardliner like his father.
Soon after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's assassination, Israel had warned that any Iranian leader who succeeds him and continues the campaign of terrorism against Israel would be considered an "unequivocal target for elimination".