Dubai/Jerusalem, Mar 9: Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader, succeeding his father Ali Khamenei, a move that signals the continued dominance of hardliners in Tehran amid the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel.
The decision was taken by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body responsible for appointing the country’s supreme leader following the death of Ali Khamenei in Israeli strikes more than a week ago.
“By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the assembly said in a statement issued shortly after midnight Tehran time.
The post of supreme leader gives Mojtaba the final authority over all state affairs in the Islamic Republic.
A mid-ranking cleric with strong influence within Iran’s security establishment and extensive business networks linked to his father, Mojtaba had long been considered a leading contender for the position ahead of the vote.
His appointment is expected to trigger strong reactions in Washington and Tel Aviv. US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States should have a say in the selection of Iran’s new leader. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump told ABC News. Israel had earlier warned it could target whoever was chosen to lead Iran.
Ali Khamenei, Iran’s longest-serving supreme leader, was killed in one of the initial strikes launched against Iran during the conflict that erupted more than a week ago.
Meanwhile, the US military said on Sunday that a seventh American had died from wounds sustained during Iran’s first counter-attack following the strikes. A day earlier, Trump presided over the return of the remains of six other US personnel killed in the attacks.
According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, the US-Israeli strikes have so far killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands.
As Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tehran was not seeking a ceasefire and would continue to punish what he termed aggressors.
Israel has continued targeting senior Iranian officials. It said Abolqasem Babaian, recently appointed head of the military office of the supreme leader, was killed in a strike carried out on Saturday. (Agencies)
