President Trump and German Chancellor Merz met at the White House (left) [UPI=Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 3rd (local time) that it would be the worst-case scenario if someone as bad as the deceased Supreme Leader Khamenei takes power in Iran, referring to a leadership vacuum.

At a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House that day, President Trump mentioned military operations against Iran and stated, "The worst case is that we do this, and then somebody takes power who is as bad as the previous person."

He added, "That can happen. We don't want that to happen," and "We want somebody in power who will fix Iran for the people."

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, died on the 28th of last month due to military operations by the United States and Israel.

President Trump said, "Forty-nine people (from the Iranian leadership) were eliminated in the first strike," and "I understand there was another strike today on the new leadership, and that was also a significant blow."

He also commented, "A lot of the people that we had in mind have died. Some of the group that we had in mind have died. There is another group, and according to reports, they may have died too."

President Trump then added, "The people of Iran have been given an opportunity, and we have told them not to do it yet. If you're going to go out and protest, we have told them not to do it yet," and "It's very dangerous out there, and a lot of bombs are being dropped."

U.S. President Trump [AFP=Yonhap News]

Regarding whether Reza Pahlavi, the last crown prince of Iran currently in exile in the United States, could be an alternative for a future Iranian regime, he said, "I haven't thought about that deeply," but added, "I think someone from within (Iran) would be more appropriate. Someone who is currently in Iran and popular. We also have more moderate individuals."

This is interpreted as an expression of expectation for the emergence of a new leadership that is more moderate and cooperative with the United States, differing from the previous leadership that continued to suppress anti-government protests and maintain an anti-U.S. stance.

He then referenced the situation in Venezuela after the operation to arrest President Nicolás Maduro in early January, stating, "Venezuela has been truly amazing in that we attacked, and we maintained the government completely," and commented that relations between the U.S. and Venezuela are in excellent condition.

In Venezuela's case, human resource changes within the regime were minimized, with Vice President Delcy Rodríguez taking over as interim president after Maduro's extradition, and policies shifted to be cooperative with the U.S.

President Trump's mention of the Venezuelan model could be interpreted as an expression of the perception that it might be more advantageous for the U.S. if a U.S.-friendly figure among the existing regime members takes over as the supreme leader to replace Khamenei, at least on an interim basis, rather than a rapid and revolutionary change in Iran that could lead to severe chaos.

If so, this could be controversial as it might contradict President Trump's own urging for the Iranian people to seize control of the Iranian government after the cessation of U.S. military attacks.

In addition, regarding the ongoing military operations against Iran, which have been underway for four days, President Trump stated, "We have militarily subdued them," indicating that the U.S. maintains the advantage.

President Trump announced that the Iranian navy and air force have been neutralized, and Iran's missile stockpile has drastically decreased.

President Trump said, "We were negotiating with these lunatics, and I thought they would attack first. They were going to attack. If we hadn't done it, they would have attacked first."

This is interpreted as an assertion that Iran was considering a preemptive strike against the U.S. while continuing nuclear negotiations with the U.S., and aims to justify the military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel on the 28th of last month.

This is understood as a statement made in awareness of the controversy arising within the U.S. regarding the actual existence of the "imminent threat" from Iran, which he cited as the justification for the attack.

He then stated, "Perhaps I forced Israel's hand. But Israel was ready, and we were ready."

This was a refutation of the widespread analysis that the current military operation was the result of persistent persuasion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to President Trump. It appears to emphasize that the U.S., not Israel, took the lead in making the decision.

President Trump and German Chancellor Merz met at the White House (left) [Reuters=Yonhap News]

Regarding concerns that international oil prices might be affected by the armed conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, President Trump said, "Oil prices might be a little higher for a short period of time, but once this is over, oil prices will come down, and I think they may even go lower than before."