'No one knows' who will rule Iran after Khamenei, says foreign minister, but 'we don't allow anyone to interfere'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said “nobody knows” who will be Iran's next supreme leader, amid reports that the ruling body has already chosen a replacement for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, CNN notes.
“There are a lot of rumors going around, but we have to wait for the Assembly of Experts to meet and vote on the new supreme leader,” Araghchi said in an interview on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
The Assembly of Experts is a body of 88 high-ranking clerics that appoints Iran's supreme leader. Its members are elected by voting by Iranian citizens.
Araghchi specified that, until the meeting of the Assembly, the leadership is provided by an interim council, and all Iranian institutions continue their activity. Some observers say a new leader cannot be appointed until the Assembly physically meets.
The Iranian minister was also asked about US President Donald Trump's claim that he should have a say in choosing Iran's new leadership.
“We do not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. This is a matter that concerns the Iranians,” he said. “It is exclusively the problem of the Iranian people.”
Araghchi also said Iran would not accept Trump's demand for an unconditional surrender.
He said that in June last year, Iran accepted a truce, but this time it would take a definitive end to the war.
“No one wants to continue this war,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran would continue to act in self-defense.
The Iranian official insisted that Iran was not attacking its neighbors but targeting US facilities and installations in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
