Mojtaba Khamenei has been named the new Supreme Leader of Iran following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in a move that signals the continued dominance of hardline leadership in Tehran amid the country’s escalating conflict with Israel and the United States.
The decision was announced shortly after midnight in Tehran by the Assembly of Experts, the powerful clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
“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.
The Supreme Leader holds ultimate authority in Iran’s political system, exercising final control over the military, judiciary, and major state institutions.
Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric who has long wielded influence within Iran’s security establishment and powerful business networks linked to his father, had been widely regarded as a leading contender before the vote. His appointment comes barely a week after the death of Ali Khamenei during the early phase of the ongoing war.
The development is likely to deepen tensions with Washington. Donald Trump, President of the United States, had earlier suggested that Washington should play a role in determining Iran’s next leader.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump told ABC News.
The leadership transition comes as the conflict between Iran and Israel continues to expand across the Middle East.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said the ongoing U.S.-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands more.
Israeli forces have also continued to target senior Iranian officials. Among those reportedly killed was Abolqasem Babaian, recently appointed head of the military office of the supreme leader, who Israel said died in an air strike.
Iranian officials insist the country will not seek a ceasefire. The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said Tehran intends to punish those responsible for the attacks.
Overnight air strikes targeted fuel depots and oil facilities around Tehran, leaving large sections of the capital under a dark haze of smoke.
State oil officials said warplanes struck five oil sites in and around the city, killing at least four people. The governor of Tehran told the state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency that fuel distribution in the capital had been “temporarily interrupted.”
Residents reported thick smoke and the smell of burning fuel hanging over the city of more than 10 million people.
“The blaze has been burning for more than 12 hours, and the air has become unbreathable. I can’t even go out to do the daily shopping,” said one 35-year-old resident in a message sent to Europe.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it still has enough weapons to sustain missile and drone operations for months.
Explosions were reported over Tel Aviv after Israel detected incoming Iranian missiles. Emergency services said at least six people were injured.
Across the wider region, tensions have also spread. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones heading towards targets in the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh, while Kuwait reported damage to fuel tanks at its international airport. Bahrain also said a desalination plant had been struck.
Analysts say the conflict could last weeks, with no clear diplomatic breakthrough in sight.
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, warned the conflict risked destabilising the global order. “The world cannot return to the law of the jungle,” he said during a press briefing in Beijing.
Meanwhile, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, appealed for peace. He prayed “that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open.”
- Security Operatives Rescue 21 Abducted FCT Residents - March 9, 2026
- Boko Haram Overruns Army Base in Borno, Kills Commanding Officer - March 9, 2026
- Appeal Court Upholds Orders Stopping PDP Ibadan Convention - March 9, 2026