"The president said to Fox earlier today that he doesn't believe the new ayatollah can live in peace. He made a variety of comments suggesting that he should be involved in picking the new Iranian leader. Is the ending of this war also contingent on Iran selecting a leader that the president finds acceptable? And if so, how is that not the definition of a regime change war?"
"This was a regime that chanted still chants death to America! We look at the way that they are holding the entire world hostage with the restricting of the free flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz. So the president, I think, is making quite an obvious comment."
"We have objectives that we have laid out that the commander in chief wants to see achieved. When they are achieved, then it will ultimately be up to the president to end this operation."
During a White House press briefing, NBC correspondent Garrett Haake pressed Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on President Trump's statements regarding Iran's new supreme leader. Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Ali Khamenei's son being named the new ayatollah and suggested involvement in selecting Iran's leadership. Haake questioned whether conditioning the end of military operations on Iran selecting an acceptable leader constitutes regime change war. Leavitt responded by emphasizing the operation's focus on eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities and addressing threats to American security, including Iran's hostility and control of the Strait of Hormuz. She stated that military objectives must be achieved before the president decides to end operations, but did not directly address whether political leadership selection was a condition for ending the conflict.
#iran-military-operations #trump-administration-policy #white-house-press-briefing #regime-change-debate #us-national-security
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