Trump says he fears Iran's next leader could be as bad as the previous person'

"I don't know if there's a worst case, Trump said, expressing confidence about superior US-Israeli force. We have them very much beaten militarily, from the military standpoint. They're still lobbing some missiles, he said. They won't even be able to do that because we're hitting all of their carriers. We're hitting all of their missile stock and we're knocking out a lot."

"I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. We don't want that to happen. It would probably be the worst, he said. You go through this and then in five years, you realise you put somebody in who was no better."

"We'll see what happens with the people. You know, they have their chance. And we've said, don't do it yet, he said. If you're going to go out and protest, don't do it yet. It's very dangerous out there."

During an Oval Office news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump discussed the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's assassination. Trump stated confidence in military dominance, claiming Iran was militarily defeated and unable to sustain missile attacks. However, he acknowledged a significant worst-case scenario: replacement leadership proving as repressive as the previous regime. Trump expressed hope for a less oppressive government but cautioned Iranians against immediate protests due to ongoing security threats. He urged restraint until conditions stabilized. Trump also asserted Iran intended to attack first, suggesting he acted preemptively to prevent Iranian aggression rather than initiating conflict.

Read at www.theguardian.com