Trump Attends Ceremony for Return of U.S. Service Members' Remains [AP Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on March 8 (local time) that Iran's next supreme leader, who has not received his approval, will not last long.

In an interview with ABC News that day, President Trump stated, "He would have to be approved by us. Without our approval, he wouldn't last long."

The Assembly of Experts is reportedly set to elect a successor to Ayatollah Khamenei, who died in attacks by the U.S. and Israel, and announce it soon. His second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is considered a likely candidate.

President Trump added, "I don't want to have people come back in five years and have to do the same thing, or worse, have them get nuclear weapons."

When asked if he would be willing to approve an individual associated with Iran's former regime (the Pahlavi dynasty), he replied, "I would. I would if it's to pick a good leader. There are many, many qualified individuals."

Referring to Iran, President Trump said, "They are a paper tiger right now. They weren't a paper tiger a week ago (before the U.S. airstrikes started). They were going to attack us."

He also claimed, "Their plan was to attack and take over the entire Middle East."

Regarding the possibility of deploying special forces to secure Iran's enriched uranium, President Trump emphasized, "Everything is on the table. Everything."

When asked if the sight of the remains of six service members killed in the Iranian attack had given him "hesitation," President Trump replied, "Not at all. If I do that, their parents would be angry."

He added, "The parents all said to me, 'Please win for my son or daughter.' They were devastated, but they were proud."

President Trump stated, "I don't know. I never predict. All I can tell you is we are ahead of schedule in terms of lethality and in terms of time."

Regarding rising oil prices due to the war, he said, "I think it's okay. That's a small problem."

He claimed, "But the good news is we sank 44 of their ships, and that's their entire navy. We've neutralized their air force, we've neutralized their communication network, their air defense systems are gone. They have no ability to defend. All they have is rhetoric."

In response to the assertion that there is limited support for the war from key constituencies, including the MAGA (Make America Great Again) base, he countered, "What we're doing is MAGA. Otherwise, we would lose the country or be attacked."

He continued, "MAGA is saving America. I have more support with MAGA than ever before."