Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with NBC News on Sunday that the Iranian people — not US President Donald Trump — will choose their new leader, and demanded that Trump apologize for starting the war with Iran.

"We will not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. The Iranian people must elect their new leader," Araghchi said.

He also dismissed the possibility of the slain leader's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, replacing his father, without specifying who the successor might be. "We must wait for the Assembly of Experts to convene and vote for a new Supreme Leader and for whoever is elected by them," he said.

The Iranian foreign minister also said Trump "must apologize to the people of the region and the Iranian people for the killings and destruction they have committed against us."

He defended Iranian attacks on neighboring Middle Eastern countries, saying the strikes targeted American bases in the region since Iranian missiles cannot reach the United States. "It is the Americans who started this war against us by attacking us, and we are defending ourselves. So obviously our missiles cannot reach US territory. What we can do is attack American bases and American facilities around us, which unfortunately are on the territory of our, you know, neighboring countries," Araghchi said.

Earlier, Trump had stated that he must be involved in the selection of Iran's new Supreme Leader.