Live updates: Trump warns of more US casualties in war with Iran, Hezbollah joins conflict

President Donald Trump on Sunday drew a direct parallel between US actions in Venezuela and the current situation in Iran, saying the former offers a “perfect” example of how a change in leadership could play out amid questions about a transition of power after US and Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect, the perfect scenario,” Trump told The New York Times in a six-minute phone interview, referencing the US operation earlier this year in Venezuela that removed Nicolás Maduro from power.

“Everybody’s kept their job except for two people,” Trump added.

In contrast with the Maduro ouster, however, which left the rest of Venezuela’s government in tact, the president said earlier Sunday that 48 Iranian leaders have been killed during the ongoing strikes.

When asked whom he would like to see lead Iran, Trump told the Times, “I have three very good choices.” He added, “I won’t be revealing them now. Let’s get the job done first.”

Yet the president also floated a different possibility, according to the newspaper, that the Iranian people could move to replace their government.

“That’s going to be up to them about whether or not they do,” Trump said. “They’ve been talking about it for years so now they’ll obviously have an opportunity.”

The two visions underscore the uncertainty surrounding how the administration envisions Iran’s political future after the strikes.