According to his own words, US President Donald Trump would like to meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtab Khamenei. In the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast published on Wednesday, he explained that they “pretty much get along,” according to TASR.
- Donald Trump has expressed interest in personally meeting Mojtab Khamenei.
- Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the Israeli-American attacks on Iran.
- US Secretary of State Rubio claims that Khamenei is increasingly active.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since the start of the war in the Islamic Republic. He himself was injured in the Israeli-American attacks at the end of February, during which members of his family were killed, including his father, the country’s supreme leader at the time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Khamenei was becoming more active.
Trump’s comments on Iran
“He’s engaged, for sure. Yes, I think he’s very respected (in Iran),” Trump said of Khamenei Jr.
“I haven’t had the honor of meeting him… If you believe the reports, he’s missing a lot of different parts,” said the US president, who appeared to be referring to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s March claims that Khamenei was probably crippled after the missile attacks.
“They say that he gives the final approval, because that’s how it works there for many years. First it was his father and then he – apparently it progressed (to him) that way. But it looks like we understand each other,” Trump said.
A possible meeting with Khamenei
He went on to say that he would like to meet with Khamenei and that will probably happen in time, but it will depend on the development of the situation.
The New York Post notes that Trump is unusually supportive of face-to-face meetings with US adversaries, saying such an approach can help forge relationships that make the US more secure. The newspaper recalled that during his first term in office, Trump sent “love letters” – as he called it – to the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, with whom he met three times. Also during that period, he planned to invite representatives of the Afghan Taliban movement to the presidential residence in Camp David for peace negotiations, but it ultimately came to nothing.
Trump’s tone toward Iran
The US daily noted that Trump had changed his tone on Khamenei, calling him weak and an “unacceptable” choice to lead the Islamic Republic in recent months. In March, he claimed that Iran’s new leader might be gay, which he said was not a good fit for the highest office “in this particular country.”
In addition to Khamenei, the American president also commented on his recent phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Axios reported that Trump told Netanyahu he was “absolutely insane,” which Trump now confirmed in a podcast.
Trump a Netanyahu
“I was a little concerned that he is constantly fighting with Lebanon,” the US president explained. He noted that he likes “Bibi” (Netanyahu’s nickname) very much and appreciated their mutual cooperation. “I am the president at war. He is the prime minister at war,” he stated.
