Iran launched missile strikes toward Israel early Monday shortly after the country named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in recent US-Israeli strikes.
Nine days after the attacks that pushed the Middle East into a wider conflict, Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts selected the 56-year-old cleric as the third Supreme Leader since the Iranian Revolution. State television announced the decision, stating that the Assembly made the choice unanimously despite what it described as “aggression by America and the Zionist regime.”
Iranian state media later showed footage of a missile reportedly fired toward Israel carrying the slogan “At Your Command, Sayyid Mojtaba.” Explosions were also reported in Qatar, which hosts a major US air base.
Tensions have intensified as Donald Trump warned that any new Iranian leader would face pressure from Washington, while Israel’s military cautioned that potential successors could also become targets.
Meanwhile, China described Iran’s leadership change as an internal matter. The escalating conflict has pushed global oil prices above $100 a barrel for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while disruptions to regional airspace have stranded travelers in Dubai and other Gulf cities.
