Iran Appoints Mojtaba Khamenei Supreme Leader After Father’s Killing

Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the early days of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel.

The decision was made by Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body responsible for appointing the country’s supreme leader.

State media said the council held an emergency vote and selected the 56-year-old Shi’ite cleric to become the third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Mojtaba Khamenei, long considered a potential successor to his father, has strong backing from the influential Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and from conservative factions within Iran’s political establishment.

Analysts say his close ties to the security forces and their vast economic networks could further strengthen hardline control over the country’s leadership.

The move also drew immediate criticism from U.S President, Donald Trump, who has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and previously warned that Mojtaba would be an unacceptable choice to lead the Islamic Republic.