TEHRAN/JERUSALEM/BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON -US President Donald Trump said he must be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader, the US news website Axios reported Thursday.
In a telephone interview with Axios, Trump said it is “unacceptable” for Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to become Iran’s new leader.
“I have to be involved in the appointment,” he said. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me.”
Trump also warned that if Iran selects a new leader who “continues Khamenei’s policies,” the United States will be forced to return to conflict “within five years”.
‘No time limits’ on how long conflict could continue
In an interview with Time published Thursday, Trump said he has “no time limits” on how long the conflict with Iran could continue.
“I have no time limits on anything,” Trump said in a phone call with Time on Wednesday. “I want to get it done.”
Earlier this week, Trump said he was expecting the US-Israeli strikes against Iran would last four to five weeks. The operation began on Feb 28.
Iranian ‘drone carrier’ destroyed
Meanwhile, US forces destroyed an Iranian navy vessel described as a “drone carrier,” the US Central Command said.
“Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire,” the command said in a post on the social platform X.
“US forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy,” said the post.
Iran warns US against ground invasion
In a post on social media platform X, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani on Thursday warned the United States against carrying out ground invasion against Iranian territory, saying the country’s armed forces are waiting and ready for American troops.
Larijani said, “Some American officials have stated that they intend to enter Iranian territory on the ground with several thousand troops.”
He added that Iran’s “valiant” armed forces are waiting for the US troops.
‘No reason to negotiate with US’
During an interview with US broadcaster NBC News aired on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that his country is not requesting a ceasefire with the United States and Israel, and does not see any reason to negotiate with Washington.
“We are not asking for a ceasefire, and we don’t see any reason why we should negotiate with the United States when we negotiated with them twice, and every time, they attacked us in the middle of the negotiations,” Araghchi said.
Regarding the possibility of a ground invasion by the United States against Iran, Araghchi said, “We are waiting for them because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.”
Israel: Over 300 Iranian missile sites destroyed
Also on Thursday, the Israeli military said it has destroyed more than 300 ballistic missile launchers and air defense systems in western and central Iran since fighting began last weekend.
The military released footage of the strikes, saying the attacks aimed to “further expand aerial superiority over Iran and minimize as much as possible the scale of launches toward the State of Israel”.
In an overnight phone call, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged to maintain close military coordination following the launch of their joint operation against Iran.
The two defense chiefs discussed next steps in their campaign against Tehran, according to a statement from Katz’s office.
“The two agreed to continue their close coordination and remain in continuous contact,” the statement said.
Missile strikes toward central Israel
Meanwhile, Iran launched fresh missile attacks toward Israel late Thursday, the military said, as the police reported damage in several locations in central Israel.
Videos circulating on local media showed that a fire broke out at one location. In the Jerusalem area, a building was also damaged.
The missiles triggered sirens across central Israel, and residents reported that loud explosions were heard.
Drone attacks against US bases, Israeli targets
The Iranian army also said its forces have carried out drone attacks against US bases in Kuwait and Iraq as well as a number of Israeli targets.
The army made the announcement in statements published on its official website, adding that the attacks, which were launched mainly on Thursday, inflicted “significant and serious” damages on the targets.
The army said its ground force attacked the US troops’ base in Erbil in northern Iraq with its combat drones and caused “significant” damage, stressing that its navy’s drone units targeted the US forces’ camp in Kuwait. It added that its air force launched attacks toward targets in Israel, including those in Tel Aviv.
IRGC strikes US oil tanker in Gulf
In another development, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had hit a US oil tanker north of the Gulf with missiles, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The American tanker was targeted by the IRGC’s navy early Thursday and was reported to be burning, it said.
According to Fars, the IRGC had earlier announced that, based on international rules and resolutions, Iran has full authority over vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz during wartime, and all must comply.
‘Separatist terrorists’ facilities
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said the country’s armed forces have heavily damaged a large part of the positions and facilities belonging to “separatist terrorist” groups near western borders through a “pre-emptive” military operation.
The ministry said the groups sought to “abuse” the war conditions and infiltrate Iran through western borders with US and Israeli support, with an aim to launch “terrorist” attacks in Iran’s urban and border areas, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.
‘Broad-scale’ airstrikes
Israel has begun a “broad-scale” wave of airstrikes against Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran, the Israeli military announced before dawn on Friday.
In a televised address on Thursday, Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir said Israeli forces are moving to the “next phase” of their campaign against Iran, in which they will intensify strikes against the Iranian government’s foundations and its military capabilities.
Zamir said that following an initial “surprise opening strike” that suppressed Iran’s ballistic missile array, the military is now shifting its focus. “We have further surprising moves that I do not intend to reveal,” he said. “We will pursue all of our enemies and we will reach them.”
Israeli air force has conducted 2,500 strikes, dropped over 6,000 munitions, and destroyed roughly 60 percent of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and 80 percent of its air defense systems, Zamir said, adding that Israel has achieved near-total air superiority over Iran.
Iraq’s Kurdistan region denies sending armed groups
Separately, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) denied claims it sent Kurdish groups to infiltrate Iran, saying it is not involved in any campaign to escalate regional conflicts.
KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani called reports suggesting the region is arming and sending Kurdish parties into Iran “completely false”. He said the KRG and its political parties are committed to peace and stability.