US President Donald Trump says the next Iranian supreme leader “is not going to last long” if the Middle Eastern country does not first obtain American approval.

Trump spoke with ABC News on Sunday as the Islamic Republic prepares to name a successor to Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran last Saturday.

“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump said.

“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.

“I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again or worse; let them have a nuclear weapon.”

The Iranian council responsible for selecting the supreme leader is said to have voted and will shortly reveal a name.

When asked if he would be prepared to approve someone with ties to the previous administration, Trump responded, “I would, in order to choose a good leader. I would, yeah, I would.” There are numerous people that could qualify.”

Trump has consistently said that he wants to be involved in the selection of Iran’s next leader.

However, Iranian officials have downplayed the prospect.

Last Monday, Mahdavi Raja, the Iranian ambassador to Nigeria, dismissed Trump’s desire as a “joke.”