Trump said Khamenei’s son is “unacceptable to me.” Iran’s parliament speaker responded: our fate will not be decided by “Epstein’s gang.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh mocked Trump’s demand to be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader, telling the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi: “President Trump is asking for a leadership change in Iran, while he can’t even appoint the mayor of New York. Can you imagine this colonial approach?” He called the U.S.-Israeli campaign an “existential war.”
The remarks came after Trump told TIME he must be involved in selecting a new supreme leader following the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me,” Trump said. Iran’s parliament speaker Ghalibaf responded on X that Iran’s fate “will be determined solely by the proud Iranian nation, not by Epstein’s gang.”
Khatibzadeh also said Iran has not closed the Strait of Hormuz, describing Tehran as “an anchor of stability.” Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Iran’s president rejected the demand, saying: “They will take their dream to the grave.”