Foreign Minister Araghchi Emphasizes that Iranians will Choose Khamenei's Replacement, Not Trump
JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said that the Iranian people who will choose the new Supreme Leader to replace the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not Donald Trump, demanded that the President of the United States apologize for starting a war with Iran.
"We do not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. It is up to the Iranian people to choose their new leaders," said Foreign Minister Araghchi "Meet the Press" NBC as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP (9/3).
Previously, President Trump insisted that he must have a role in choosing the next Supreme Leader of Iran after Ali Khamenei died in the initial US-Israeli attack that began on February 28.
He also rejected the possibility that Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would replace his father.
Foreign Minister Araghchi did not want to comment on who his successor would be. Iranian government media reported on Sunday that the clerical body responsible for carrying it out had held a vote and a name would be announced soon. Some clerics predicted that Mojtaba would be chosen.
"We have to wait for the Expert Assembly to gather and choose the new supreme leader, and the person they choose," he told NBC.
On the same occasion, Foreign Minister Araghchi also said President Trump "must apologize to the people in the region and the Iranian people for the killings and destruction they have done to us."
He defended Iran's attacks that have hit neighboring countries in the Gulf during the war, saying the attacks were aimed at US bases in the region because Iranian missiles could not reach the United States.
"It was America who started this war against us, attacked us, and we defended ourselves. So it is clear that our missiles cannot reach US territory," he explained.
"What we can do is attack American bases and American installations around us, which unfortunately are in the territory of our neighboring countries," said Foreign Minister Araghchi.