The United States is reviewing potential candidates who could lead Iran, the White House said, a day after President Donald Trump suggested Washington should be involved in selecting the country’s next leader.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that US intelligence agencies and government officials were assessing possible figures who could take leadership in Iran, reports Al Jazeera.

“I know there’s a number of people that our intelligence agencies and the United States government are looking at, but I won’t get any further on that,” Leavitt said.

Her remarks came after Trump stated that the United States should play a role in determining Iran’s future leadership following the recent escalation of conflict in the region.

Leavitt also addressed Trump’s earlier statement that there would be no deal with Iran except “unconditional surrender.”

She said the president meant that Iran would effectively reach a state of unconditional surrender once it no longer posed a threat to the United States and once the objectives of the US military operation, named “Operation Epic Fury,” were fully achieved.

“When the president, as commander-in-chief of the US armed forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America and the goals of Operation Epic Fury have been fully realized, Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not,” Leavitt added.