Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as Iran’s supreme leader

Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father Ali Khamenei, in a move seen as confirming that hardliners remain firmly in control. The announcement came as the week-old war between Iran, the United States and Israel continued to escalate, pushing oil prices sharply higher and triggering declines across Asian stock markets.

Iranian institutions and political figures, including the foreign ministry and members of parliament, issued statements pledging loyalty to the new leader as the conflict entered its tenth day, with further missile and drone strikes reported across the Middle East.

A statement from Iran’s defence council vowed full allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, declaring that forces would obey the commander-in-chief “until the last drop of our blood”. Senior cleric Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli-Larijani described the appointment as a source of comfort for the nation following the death of Ali Khamenei in one of the first strikes against Iran more than a week ago.

via Reuters