US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants Iran’s leadership structure removed and claimed he has several 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 in a phone call.
“We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period,” he said.
Trump said he has several people in mind who could lead Iran, but declined to name them. He added that he is taking steps to ensure those on his list make it through the war alive.
“We are watching them, yeah,” he said.
He also addressed statements made on Thursday by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who told “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas that Iran is prepared for a possible ground invasion by US and Israeli forces.
Calling Araghchi’s comment “wasted,” Trump said he is not considering an invasion.
“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” he said, vowing that the pace and intensity of strikes will continue. – AA