Trump claims he has three choices to run Iran, but refuses to say who they are

President Trump said Sunday that he has identified “three very good choices” to potentially lead Iran but declined to name them. As reported by The New York Times, the comments came during a brief phone interview in which he outlined possible paths forward following the targeted killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump also said the U.S. military is prepared to continue its assault on Iran for “four to five weeks” if necessary. He said it “won’t be difficult” for the United States and Israel to sustain the campaign and added that the United States has “tremendous amounts of ammunition” stored globally.

During the call, the president offered differing visions for how a post-Khamenei government could take shape. He referenced what he described as a successful model in Venezuela, where only the top leader was removed and much of the existing government structure remained intact.

Trump outlines conflicting visions for post-Khamenei Iran

Trump described the Venezuela outcome as “the perfect scenario,” saying “everybody’s kept their job except for two people.” Advisers, however, have told him that applying that approach to Iran would be virtually impossible given the country’s larger population and its complex military and clerical leadership structure.

Trump says he has “three very good choices” for who could lead Iran, without naming them, while offering conflicting views on whether Iran’s current power structure would remain or be overthrown.

— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) March 2, 2026

He also suggested a dramatically different scenario in which Iran’s hardened military forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, would surrender their weapons to the public. “They would really surrender to the people, if you think about it,” he said, despite those same forces having opened fire on protesters in January, resulting in thousands of deaths. It came amid Strait of Hormuz closure.

When pressed on who he wants to lead Iran, Trump said he has specific individuals in mind but would not reveal them. “I won’t be revealing them now. Let’s get the job done first,” he said, later adding that it would ultimately be up to the Iranian people to decide whether to overthrow their government.

Trump acknowledged that his administration expects additional American casualties based on Pentagon projections. “Three is three too many as far as I’m concerned,” he said, while adding, “We expect casualties,” and asserting that Iran has been “very substantially weakened.”

He did not address Pentagon concerns that the conflict could further deplete U.S. military reserves needed for other potential flashpoints, including Taiwan or possible Russian incursions into Europe. The broader posture has been detailed in US naval buildup details.

Trump said he would consider lifting sanctions if new Iranian leadership proves to be a pragmatic partner and stated that U.S.-Israeli strikes have already “knocked out a big portion” of Iran’s navy, including nine ships and their headquarters. He ended the roughly six-minute interview by saying he needed to meet with “the generals.”

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