Trump Says Iran ‘Has Been Neutered,’ Calls For New Leadership That Treats US And Israel Well
US President Donald Trump declared that Iran has been fundamentally weakened and said the country needs new leadership willing to maintain fair relations with the United States, Israel, and other Middle Eastern nations adding that democracy is not a prerequisite for that leadership.
Speaking in a phone interview with CNN on Friday, March 6, Trump said Iran’s standing had shifted dramatically within the span of a week. “Iran is not the same country it was a week ago,” he said. “A week ago they were powerful, and now they’ve been indeed neutered.”
Trump expressed confidence that installing new leadership in Iran would be a straightforward process, drawing a comparison to Venezuela, where the US captured former president Nicolas Maduro and his deputy Delcy Rodríguez subsequently assumed power. “It’s gonna work very easily. It’s going to work like it did in Venezuela. We have a wonderful leader there. She’s doing a fantastic job,” he said, referring to acting president Rodríguez.
On the question of what kind of leader Iran should have, Trump said he would not rule out a religious figure, stating that the nature of governance matters less than the leader’s disposition toward Washington and its allies. “I don’t mind religious leaders. I deal with a lot of religious leaders and they are fantastic,” he said. When asked whether Iran should transition to a democratic system, Trump was direct: “No, I’m saying there has to be a leader that’s going to be fair and just. Do a great job. Treat the United States and Israel well, and treat the other countries in the Middle East they’re all our partners.”
Trump also credited his administration with strengthening US ties across the Middle East, claiming that relationships with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar had deteriorated under former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. “Before I got involved, we didn’t even speak to UAE and Saudi Arabia. Biden and Obama shut Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar he shut them all out. They were all going to go to China, and I got involved in a very short period of time and they became my friends,” he said.
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The president went on to praise what he described as a highly successful US military operation against Iran, claiming it had dealt a significant blow to the country’s naval forces. “We’ve knocked their Navy because, you know, when you knock out the Navy, they can’t do what they wanted to be able to do. The Navy is almost we just hit about the 25 mark. Can you imagine that? Big ones, 25 ships are down,” Trump said.
Asked about the potential impact on fuel prices, Trump dismissed concerns, saying any price increases would be short-lived. “That’s all right. It’ll be short-term. It’ll go way down very quickly,” he said.
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