Trump weighing U.S. role in Iran after conflict, White House says

Trump is consulting advisors on the U.S. role in Iran post-conflict amid mixed public support for military action.

President Donald Trump is discussing with ​his advisors what role the U.S could have in Iran after the ‌military campaign while U.S. intelligence is monitoring reports that ​Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s slain supreme leader, ⁠has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed him, the White House said on Wednesday (March 4, 2026).

“We’ve seen those reports as well, of course, and this ‌is something that our intelligence agencies in looking at. We The truth is, we’ll have to wait and ‌see,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son ‌Mojtaba ⁠has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed his late ⁠father as Iran’s supreme leader after years spent forging close ties with the elite Revolutionary Guards and building influence in the clerical establishment.

Ms. Leavitt added that Mr. Trump was ​actively considering and discussing with his ‌national security team what role Washington may have in Iran’s future once the operation is over but the primary focus at the moment was the success of the military operation.

Mr. Leavitt also ‌defended the U.S. goals of the joint Israeli-U.S. air war ​against Iran amid criticism that Washington has failed to provide evidence for the imminent threat that Tehran posed ⁠directly for the United States, while adding that Mr. Trump believed that the American people supported the war.

“This decision to launch this ‌operation is based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America,” Ms. Leavitt said.