British‑American broadcaster Mehdi Hassan has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for his stance on potential leadership in Iran, saying Trump’s approach reflects a lack of genuine commitment to democratic values.
Hassan made the comment in a post on X (formerly Twitter), reacting to a recent interview in which Trump was asked about the kind of government he would support in Iran as the conflict with Tehran escalates.
In the CNN interview that prompted Hassan’s remarks, Trump said he was open to the idea of Iran being led by a religious figure rather than necessarily a democratic leader. He emphasized that, in his view, the most important criterion was that Iran’s next leader “treat the United States and Israel well,” rather than that the country become a democracy.
According to Hassan, this outlook undermines the idea of supporting democratic movements in Iran and reflects a transactional attitude toward international politics.
In his post, he wrote, “This is the Iranian diaspora’s Venezuela moment. The moment Pahlavi got Machado-ed. Trump doesn’t care about democracy or helping opposition movements; he’ll do a deal with whoever will bend the knee. He’s very open about it. Trust Trump—and he will screw you over.”
Hassan’s reference to Venezuela invokes Trump’s remarks comparing efforts to reshape Iran’s leadership to the U.S.‑backed transition in Venezuela, where the United States and its allies supported a change in power that did not necessarily reflect a democratic process. See_More…