President Donald Trump acknowledged growing concerns about potential retaliation from Iran against the United States as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East following a series of military strikes.
During a phone interview Wednesday with Time magazine reporter Eric Cortellessa, Trump was asked whether Americans should be worried about the possibility of an attack on the U.S. homeland as the conflict with Iran deepens.
“I guess,” Trump said when asked directly about the possibility.
The president added that national security threats are something U.S. officials regularly prepare for.
“But I think they’re worried about that all the time,” Trump continued. “We think about it all the time. We plan for it. But yeah, you know, we expect some things.”
Trump also acknowledged the risks that come with armed conflict.
“Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die,” he said.
The comments come as Iran has carried out retaliatory strikes against American assets in the Middle East following a joint U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign launched last weekend. The strikes targeted key Iranian leadership and military infrastructure and reportedly killed several high-ranking officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, pushed back on the idea that Tehran plans to launch attacks directly against the United States itself. In an interview with NBC News anchor Tom Llamas on Thursday, Araghchi said Iran’s military focus remains on U.S. installations in the region rather than the American homeland.
“They have enough soldiers, they have enough military assets, they have enough military bases and military installations, so we don’t need to go beyond that,” Araghchi said.
Iranian forces have already carried out several counterattacks across the region. One of the most deadly incidents occurred in Kuwait, where an Iranian drone strike killed six U.S. service members, according to the Pentagon.
As the conflict continues, Trump has made clear that he believes Iran’s current leadership must be replaced. The president has openly called for regime change and indicated he expects the United States to play a role in shaping what comes next for the country.
“I’m not going through this to end up with another Khamenei,” Trump told Time.
“I want to be involved in the selection. They can select, but we have to make sure it’s somebody reasonable to the United States,” he added.
Despite those comments, Trump has not publicly identified any specific individual he would support to lead a new Iranian government. In remarks to NBC News on Thursday evening, the president declined to name any candidates.
However, he indicated that his administration is monitoring potential figures closely during the ongoing conflict.
Trump told the network that officials are “watching” individuals who could potentially play a role in Iran’s future leadership and are making sure they remain safe while the situation continues to unfold.
One name widely discussed as a possible successor is Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain Iranian supreme leader. Mojtaba Khamenei is believed to still be alive and currently in hiding.
Another potential figure who has emerged is Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Iranian crown prince and a longtime critic of the Islamic Republic. Pahlavi has suggested he could serve as an interim leader while Iran transitions toward a democratic election process.
In an interview with Fox News this week, Pahlavi praised the recent U.S. military operation against the Iranian regime.
He described the strikes as a “full decapitation of the regime” and expressed optimism about Iran’s future.
“We, as Iranians, look at America as our best partner in reconstructing ourselves,” Pahlavi said.
Referencing Trump’s well-known political slogan, he added, “You know, the president says, ‘MAGA,’ we say, ‘MIGA,’ Make Iran Great Again.”
[READ MORE: Trump Official Blasts CNN Report From Iran as “Pro-Regime Propaganda”]
