Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran's Expediency Council and former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, has accused Donald Trump of seeking authoritarian rule after the US president called himself a king.

"The US has entered a new era, characterized by the emergence of an international dictatorship led by Donald Trump. He wants to be a king rather than a president," he said on X.

US President Donald Trump is facing widespread criticism after referring to himself as a king on social media, following his administration’s decision to revoke New York City's congestion pricing program.

On Wednesday, after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul terminating the federal agreement supporting the program, Trump took to Truth Social, saying: "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

The White House later amplified Trump’s statement by sharing it on social media, along with a digitally altered image of him grinning on a fake Time magazine cover, wearing a golden crown, with the New York City skyline in the background.