After heated phone call with Netanyahu, Trump says ‘would like to meet’ Iran supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Since the younger Khamenei took over, Trump has stated that he believes Mojtaba was badly injured in the US-Israeli strikes.

JK News Today/Agencies

Days after a heated phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump said he would one day like to meet Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader.

Speaking with the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, the US president stated that he believes Khamenei is the one giving the final approval amid talks with Washington and would like to meet him.

“I would like to meet him, and we probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out,” said Trump.

The US-Israeli war against Iran broke out on February 28. The first set of strikes towards Tehran resulted in the death of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Days after Khamenei’s assassination, Iran named his son, 56-year-old Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as the next Supreme Leader of Iran.

Since the younger Khamenei took over, Trump has stated that he believes Mojtaba was badly injured in the US-Israeli strikes.

“I’m not hearing he’s doing great. If you believe the stories, he’s missing a lot of different parts,” Trump said on the podcast on Tuesday.

Trump’s heated phone call with Netanyahu
Speaking at the New York Post’s podcast, the US president also admitted to using “foul language” during his phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu.

As per an Axios report, it was said that Trump’s call with Netanyahu was “heated,” with insiders saying that at one point, the US president yelled “are you f***ing crazy” at the Israeli leader.

When asked about the same, Trump admitted to the tense exchange.

“You said, ‘Are you f-ing crazy? What are you f-ing doing? I helped you stay out of jail.’ Is that true? Did you speak to him in those terms?” the interviewer asked.

“I did,” Trump responded. “I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. I said, ‘Bibi, we gotta stop this,” he added.

The exchange came amid Israel’s expansion of military operations in southern Lebanon as it renewed its conflict with the Iran-backed militant group – Hezbollah.

However, as Israel continues to march deeper into Lebanon, the US is working towards a peace deal with Iran, which would allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as well as curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme.

This phone call between Trump and Bibi also underscored the shaky ties between the US and Israel.