US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran’s leadership should be removed and claimed he has several potential candidates in mind who could serve as a “good leader” for the country.
“We want to go in and clean out everything,” Trump told NBC News during a phone interview.
The US president said he did not want a future Iranian leader who would take years to rebuild the country.
“We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period,” he said.
Trump added that he has identified several possible figures who could lead Iran but declined to name them, saying steps are being taken to ensure they survive the ongoing conflict.
“We are watching them,” he said.
His remarks expanded on comments he made during an interview with NBC News last weekend, when he said he was unsure who might lead Iran in the future but joked that Iranian officials might eventually ask for his preference.
Trump also dismissed comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who told NBC Nightly News that Iran was preparing for the possibility of a US and Israeli ground invasion.
Calling the remark “a waste of time,” Trump said such an invasion is not being considered.
“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” Trump said, adding that the pace and intensity of US strikes would continue.