Chicago – March 08, 2026
Tehran, March 9, 2026 – Iran’s Assembly of Experts has named Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new Supreme Leader, state media reported on Sunday. Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric with strong ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), succeeds his father who was killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28.
Long viewed as a potential heir despite ideological aversion to hereditary rule, Mojtaba wields influence through security forces and his father’s network. His appointment signals hardliners’ dominance as the ninth day of conflict brings black smoke over Tehran from strikes on oil facilities.
President Trump justified the assaults claiming Iran neared nuclear weapons, vowing no mercy. Iranian drones hit Gulf states, killing civilians, while Israel struck Beirut. Global energy prices surge amid fears of regime destabilization.
Source: CNN
