In a statement that blended military aggression with extraordinary political audacity, President Donald Trump told reporters he believed he should have a say in selecting Iran’s next supreme leader. The comment came amid a week of devastating airstrikes that have killed Iran’s current leadership, destroyed significant portions of its military infrastructure, and sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing across Lebanon.
The war has proceeded on multiple simultaneous fronts. American B-2 stealth bombers have struck Iran’s underground missile sites with 2,000-pound penetrating bombs. Israel has dismantled large sections of Hezbollah’s command structure in Beirut. A major Iranian naval vessel was struck and possibly destroyed. The defense secretary promised a dramatic surge in US firepower, and the Israeli military chief said Israel was entering a new and more intense phase of its offensive.
Iran has matched escalation with escalation. Missiles and drones have been launched at Gulf states hosting US forces, targeting bases and oil pipelines in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. Several strikes caused damage in Bahrain, hitting civilian buildings. The Revolutionary Guards claimed strikes against Israeli military targets and promised to unveil new weapons. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel and inflicted casualties on Israeli troops near the border.
The displacement crisis in Lebanon has reached emergency proportions. Israel issued evacuation orders covering more than a million residents of Beirut and surrounding areas, including the entire Dahiyeh district. Families fled on foot with little warning and nowhere clear to go. In Iran, internet coverage dropped to around 1%, cutting the country off from international communication. The death toll in Iran has passed 1,230, while Lebanon has counted over 200 dead and nearly 800 injured.
Trump’s desire to influence the succession to Iran’s supreme leadership has drawn both ridicule and alarm in diplomatic circles. Iranian state media reported that a leadership council was already meeting to determine how to convene the assembly of experts responsible for selecting a new supreme leader. One leading candidate, whom Trump dismissed as “a lightweight,” has reportedly been in discussions. The White House has said Trump wants someone who will bring “harmony and peace” — on Washington’s terms.