DUBAI : Amidst a week of escalating hostilities with the United States and Israel, Mojtaba Khamenei has been officially appointed as Iran’s ...
DUBAI : Amidst a week of escalating hostilities with the United States and Israel, Mojtaba Khamenei has been officially appointed as Iran’s new Supreme Leader. The elevation of Mojtaba, the son of the late Ali Khamenei, is widely viewed as a signal that hardliners maintain a firm grip on the Islamic Republic’s power structure.
Holding significant sway over Iran’s security apparatus and the vast financial empires established under his father, Mojtaba has long been considered the frontrunner for the succession. The 88-member Assembly of Experts, tasked with the selection, announced the appointment around midnight on Monday.
Invoking Article 108 of the Constitution, the council elected Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Supreme Leader. He will now hold the final authority over all state and religious affairs. His father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a U.S. strike one week ago.
The appointment is expected to further provoke Washington. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that the U.S. should have a say in the transition, telling ABC News, "He cannot last long without our approval." Similarly, Israel has issued warnings that any successor chosen by the regime remains a legitimate target.
The humanitarian and military toll continues to rise as the conflict intensifies:
Iranian Toll: Iran’s UN representative reported that 1,332 civilians have been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
U.S. Toll: The Pentagon confirmed that seven American service members have died in retaliatory attacks.
In Tehran, thick black smoke hangs over the city following strikes on major oil storage facilities—an action Iran has denounced as a "war crime."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel possesses a "precise plan" to dismantle the Iranian administration and will continue its offensive "without mercy." President Trump has echoed this hardline stance, dismissing the possibility of ceasefire talks in favor of "unconditional surrender."
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