As Iran approaches the selection of its next supreme leader, former U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday, March 8, 2026, that the incoming leader “won’t last long” unless they first secure Washington’s approval. Speaking to ABC News, Trump stated, “They’ll need our blessing.” Earlier, he had remarked, “I don’t think anyone will stick around to surrender to Iran.”
“They Need Our Approval”
“If they don’t get it, they won’t last long,” Trump added. “We want to make sure we won’t have to return to this situation every 10 years—when there’s no president like me to handle it.”
He emphasized urgency about preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons: “I don’t want to be doing this same thing again in five years—or worse, letting them get a nuclear weapon.”
When asked whether he would endorse someone with ties to Iran’s previous regime, Trump replied, “Yes, I could—if it’s a good leader. There are many people who could be considered suitable.”
A Broader Strategic Claim
Offering further justification for military action, Trump claimed Iran had been planning to dominate the entire Middle East—and implied the U.S. had intervened to stop it. “They’re a paper tiger,” he said. “They weren’t one a week ago—but they were preparing to attack. Their plan was to strike across the entire Middle East and take it over.”
Trump did not rule out deploying special operations forces to seize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles. “Everything is on the table. Everything,” he said.
A senior U.S. government official told reporters last week that Iran has enriched enough uranium to reach weapons-grade levels within 10 days—or possibly sooner. Much of that material is believed to be stored at facilities struck during Operation ‘Midnight Hammer’ in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
“Theoretically, if we had physical control of those sites—where the material is located—we could send our people there and dilute it on-site,” the official said.
Mourning the Fallen
Over the weekend, Trump met with the families of six U.S. service members killed in the conflict. When asked whether the experience changed his view of the war, he responded, “No, not at all.”
“The parents would be heartbroken if I did,” he said. “Each one told me, ‘Please, sir, win this for my child’—and in one case, for a young woman. ‘Win this for my child.’”
He added: “It was a very emotional moment. I met with the parents. They were devastated—but also proud.”
Trump declined to predict how long the conflict might last. “I don’t know. I never make predictions. All I can say is that we’re ahead of schedule—both in effectiveness and timing.”