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Trump: Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader, but I said no thanks

Iran War

Mar 26, 2026

Sources

https://www.newarab.com/news/trump-iran-asked-me-be-supreme-leader-i-said-no-thanks

Summary

Donald Trump said at a National Republican Congressional Committee fundraiser that Iranians wanted him to be their next Supreme Leader, which he framed as a joke about how dangerous the job has become. The New Arab uses the remark to underscore a claimed U.S.-Israeli assassination campaign and to suggest uncertainty about Iran’s new leader’s status, while mixing confirmed facts with disputed or unclear claims. The story matters because joking rhetoric from a sitting U.S. president can launder extreme policy choices into punchlines and mislead audiences about what is verified in a fast-moving war.

Reality Check

Trump’s comment appears to be a **joke**, not evidence that Iran actually offered him any formal or informal role. Iran’s leadership succession to Mojtaba Khamenei after Ali Khamenei’s reported killing has been widely reported, but claims that Mojtaba is dead or gravely injured are **not established** in the article text and should be treated as unverified unless independently confirmed. On the Strait of Hormuz, reporting suggests Iran is imposing **control and conditions** on passage (vetting/fees) rather than a clean, universally enforced “blockade” claim.

Detail

Trump made the “Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader… No, thank you” remark at an NRCC fundraising dinner in Washington on March 25, 2026, per multiple reports summarizing the event. The remark was presented as a joke implying Iran’s top job is now unusually undesirable because Iranian leaders are being killed during the conflict. Iran’s state-linked announcement that Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father followed Ali Khamenei’s reported killing in U.S.-Israeli strikes; major outlets reported the succession on March 8, 2026. The article claims Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since being chosen and says U.S./Israeli intelligence reports suggest he may be dead or seriously injured; this is asserted without showing sourcing or confirmation. The New Arab describes the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran as “unprovoked,” a characterization rather than a verified fact in the article text itself. Separate reporting the same day indicates Iran is exerting control over the Strait of Hormuz via inspection/vetting and/or a fee/toll regime, rather than a simple on/off ‘closure’ as often stated in war coverage. The article also describes shifting and contradictory statements about talks; contemporaneous reporting describes diplomacy as faltering and positions hardening rather than a clearly progressing negotiation track.

Russia has provided Iran with information that can help Tehran strike US military, AP sources say

Russia’s reported intelligence support to Iran raises the threat floor for U.S. forces in the Gulf as a wider power contest seeps into an active U.S.-initiated war.

Iran War

Mar 6, 2026

Sources

https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-russia-intelligence-35afae34198408d670941f971d383378

Summary

U.S. intelligence indicates Russia provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft, and other U.S. assets in the region. The disclosure reflects a widening international entanglement as Moscow moves to influence a conflict the U.S. and Israel initiated against Iran. The practical consequence is an elevated operational threat to U.S. forces and partners in the Persian Gulf as Iran conducts retaliatory attacks.

Reality Check

When foreign powers trade targeting-relevant intelligence amid active hostilities, our military’s safety becomes hostage to backchannel escalation rather than transparent democratic control of war powers. This kind of external entanglement accelerates conflict dynamics faster than Congress or the public can meaningfully oversee, weakening accountability for decisions that place Americans in harm’s way. Normalizing wars that expand through opaque intelligence exchanges conditions the country to accept perpetual, unmanaged escalation as standard governance.

Detail

Two U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reporting said Russia has provided Iran with information that could aid Tehran in targeting American warships, aircraft, and other U.S. assets in the region. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The officials said U.S. intelligence has not found that Russia is directing Iran on how to use the information. The disclosure comes as the U.S. and Israel continue bombardment of Iran that began about a week earlier, and as Iran fires retaliatory salvos at American assets and U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.

The officials described the intelligence as the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war. Russia is described as maintaining friendly relations with Tehran despite Iran’s isolation tied to its nuclear program and support for proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.