Trump Says He'll Pick Iran's Next Leader. Nobody Has Explained How.
The morning briefing on a seventh day of Operation Epic Fury, Trump's claim that the U.S. must choose Iran's next leader, markets in freefall, and a Strait of Hormuz that isn't opening anytime soon.
As Israeli jets launched a new broad-scale wave of strikes across Tehran overnight — hitting residential areas, a shopping street, and the vicinity of Tehran University — President Trump told Reuters he intends to personally shape who leads Iran after the war. “We’re going to have to choose that person along with Iran,” Trump said, drawing a comparison to the U.S. role in replacing Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. He dismissed the late Supreme Leader Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as a “lightweight” and encouraged Iranian Kurdish forces to launch a ground offensive into northwest Iran. Defense Secretary Hegseth, meanwhile, warned the conflict was not yet at its peak: “If you think you’ve seen something, just wait.”
The death toll in Iran has passed 1,200, with more than 120 dead in Lebanon. Six U.S. service members have been confirmed killed. The Israel Defense Forces claims to have conducted more than 2,600 strikes using over 6,000 munitions since February 28, asserting near-complete air superiority over Iranian airspace. Iran’s retaliatory capabilities have visibly degraded — ballistic missile attacks are down 90 percent from day one, according to U.S. military sources — but Iranian drones and missiles continued to strike Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia overnight, and Iran’s foreign minister declared there is “no reason” to negotiate with Washington.
Congress formally declined to assert any war authority this week. The White House has outlined a four-to-five-week campaign timeline, but has yet to articulate what post-war Iran is supposed to look like — or who gets to decide.
Quick Hits
- ITALY CALLS IT ILLEGAL, THEN SENDS WEAPONS ANYWAY — Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament Thursday that the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran was "outside the rules of international law." Hours later, Italy announced it was deploying defensive weapons to Gulf states at their request. [Source]
- IRAN SAYS IT HAS FIRED 500+ BALLISTIC MISSILES, 2,000 DRONES SINCE DAY ONE — A military source cited by Iran's Fars News Agency put the total Iranian strike count since February 28 at more than 500 ballistic and naval missiles and approximately 2,000 drones — a figure that underscores how much Iran has already expended of its documented arsenal. [Source]
- NATO INCREASES DEFENSE POSTURE AFTER SUSPECTED IRANIAN MISSILE NEARS TURKEY NATO — member states raised their defense readiness after a suspected Iranian missile was intercepted heading toward Turkish airspace Wednesday. Iran denied firing toward Turkey. [Source]
- MEASLES OUTBREAK REPORTED AT TEXAS ICE DETENTION CAMP WITH 3,000+ IMMIGRANTS — A Texas congressmember warns of at least 14 confirmed measles cases at a hastily constructed tent camp in El Paso holding more than 3,000 immigrants, with 112 more isolated. The facility has also recently seen COVID-19 and tuberculosis outbreaks, and no guards have been observed wearing masks. [Source]
What to Watch For
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY
Iran succession: The three-member council now running Iran is preparing to formally introduce a new supreme leader. Trump has publicly claimed a veto over the outcome. Watch how Iranian clerical and IRGC establishment responds to that framing — the gap between Trump’s stated role and Tehran’s actual decision-making process has significant implications for any eventual off-ramp.
Gas prices and White House damage control: The AAA average hit $3.32 Friday morning, a two-term high for Trump. White House energy and national security teams are reportedly scrambling for options, with Susie Wiles warning of electoral consequences. Watch whether any concrete policy — beyond the tanker insurance program — gets announced today.
Bondi subpoena timeline: The Oversight Committee’s subpoena is now active. Watch for any DOJ response, motion to quash, or outright silence. The bipartisan composition of the subpoena vote (five Republicans) gives it unusual political weight.
Hormuz shipping and China mediation: Envoy Zhai Jun is now en route to the region. Whether China can apply meaningful pressure for a de-escalation — or whether its interests are simply in protecting its own energy supply chains — becomes clearer in the coming 48 hours.
By The Numbers
Estimated daily cost of Operation Epic Fury in its first 100 hours, according to CSIS. Of the $3.7 billion spent in that window, $3.5 billion was not budgeted for.
Price per barrel for Brent crude Thursday, up from roughly $70 at the start of the war — a 21 percent increase in six days. Analysts warn a sustained closure of the Strait of Hormuz lasting a month or more could push crude into triple digits.
National average for a gallon of regular gasoline as of Friday morning, the highest of either Trump term, up 11 percent from $2.98 a week ago.
Number of munitions Israel claims to have deployed in more than 2,600 strikes on Iran since February 28, with the IDF chief saying Israel is moving into a "next phase" of the war.
Files the DOJ has removed from its publicly accessible Epstein archive since the subpoena fight began, including records referencing Trump administration officials.
Quote of the Day
"If you think you've seen something, just wait."
— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at CENTCOM headquarters Thursday, signaling further escalation ahead.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/middleeast/us-israel-iran-war-what-we-know-intl-hnk
Bottom Line
Day seven of Operation Epic Fury opens with strikes across Tehran, gas prices at a Trump-era high, markets sliding, and a president who says he intends to personally select the next leader of a sovereign nation. The military picture has shifted in the U.S.-Israel favor — Iran's strike capacity has measurably degraded — but the political and economic picture is moving in the opposite direction. The White House has a stated timeline of four to five weeks and no publicly stated endgame. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, $3.5 billion in unbudgeted war costs have already been spent, and the Gulf states the U.S. relies on are absorbing Iranian strikes without signing up for the fight. The accountability questions emerging from all of this — who authorized what, what the plan actually is, and who pays — are not being answered by the people in charge of answering them.