Trump says Iran's new supreme leader is 'more rational'
US President Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC that he believes Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is "more rational" than his predecessor.
"Younger, I think, more rational. Hurt - he's seriously injured. So there's a certain courage to it," Trump said in the interview with NBC's "Meet the Press", which was recorded on Friday (5) and released this Sunday morning (7).
The new leader - who succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - has not been seen in public since he suffered injuries in an Israeli attack that killed his father on the first day of the war.
Trump did not reveal what he knew about Mojtaba Khamenei's location. "I don't want to say whether or not I know where he is, but there's a good chance I do," the president said.
During the interview, Trump also said he does not plan to withdraw the approximately 50,000 troops involved in the war in Iran until "we have a conclusion" in the country.
"I don't consider (the troops) to be in danger," Trump said. "We have the best defense anyone has ever seen. We have the best offense anyone has ever seen. So I don't consider it dangerous." "I would say it would be unwise to do that because maybe we could use them," Trump added.
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The president also commented on his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump said he and Netanyahu are on the same page, despite some disagreements between the leaders over Israel's military offensive in Lebanon.
"We get along very well, we've been great comrades. We've done a very, very great job in a certain country that has been nothing but trouble for 47 years. I disagree with him on some things," Trump said.
When pressed on whether he disagrees with Israel's bombing of Lebanon, Trump said he would like to see a "more surgical strike on Hezbollah."
"We can help them with this, or we can recommend Syria," he said, adding praise for the new Syrian government.
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Source: CNN