US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Axios that he must personally take part in choosing Iran’s next leader — just as he did in Venezuela.

Trump said this during an exclusive eight-minute phone call in which he explained his military planning.

Trump acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is the most likely successor, but made it clear that he considers such an outcome unacceptable.

“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in this appointment, just like in the case of Delcy [Rodríguez] in Venezuela,” Trump said.

He added that he refuses to accept a new Iranian leader who would continue Khamenei’s policies, which, he said, would force the United States to return to war “in five years.”

“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” the US president added.

Trump compared the succession in Iran to his intervention in Venezuela, where Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed office after US troops captured Nicolás Maduro in January.