Iran names Khamenei's son as new supreme leaderMojtaba Khamenei is regarded as a conservative figure, notably because of his ties with the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic's militaryTEHRAN - Iran's ruling clerics on Sunday appointed the slain leader's son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader, defying threats from the United States and Israel to oppose him. Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed the elder Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war, the clerical government's Assembly of Experts convened to choose their next leader. "If he doesn't get approval from us he's not going to last long," he told ABC News before the announcement was made. Several blasts were heard over Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv after the Israeli military said it had detected a salvo of missiles from Iran. Trump has suggested Iran's economy could be rebuilt if a leader "acceptable" to Washington replaces the late supreme leader.

Source: Bangkok Post March 08, 2026 23:10 UTC