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Donald Trump told reporters that he should help choose Iran's new supreme leader.

Mr. Trump said that Mastaba Hamine, the 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Harmony, who has emerged as the front-runner, was an unacceptable choice.

He told Axius that he wants someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran.

America's House of Representatives rejected a resolution that would require

Mr. Trump to get congressional authorization to engage in military operations in Iran. The House

voted 219 to 212 to block the proposal, mostly along party lines.

The Senate rejected a similar measure on Wednesday.

Even if a resolution passed both houses, it is unlikely Congress could muster the votes needed

to override the inevitable presidential veto.

Azerbaijan became the latest country to be drawn into the war in Iran after a drone attack

on its territory. The Azerbaijani defense ministry blamed Iran and said it was weighing retaliatory

action. Meanwhile, Gulf ministers jointly condemned Iran's, quote, unjustifiable, attacks on their countries

and reaffirmed their right to take necessary measures to defend themselves.

Oil continued to command high prices because of the war in Iran.

Brent Crude, the global benchmark, rose by around 3% to $84 a barrel.

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