Iran selects Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son as new supreme leader


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Iran’s Assembly ​of Experts said Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will become the new supreme leader following his father’s death in joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes last week.

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Alekasir said the new leader was chosen using Khamenei’s advice that they should be “be hated by ‌the enemy.”

Reuters reported that President Donald Trump previously said Mojtaba Khamenei was an “unacceptable” choice for him.

“Even the Great Satan (U.S.) has mentioned his name,” Alekasir said, according to Reuters.

Trump acknowledged the likelihood of Mojtaba Khamenei becoming the new leader in an interview with Axios on Thursday. The president insisted on being personally involved in choosing Khamenei’s successor.

Israel strikes Iran fuel depots overnight

Israel struck several fuel depots in Tehran, with video footage verified by The New York Times showing huge balls of fire and smoke billowing into the air in Tehran and Karaj.

“The U.S.-Israeli criminal war against the Iranian nation has entered a dangerous new phase with deliberate strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, said Sunday. “By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale.”

The Israeli military confirmed the attacks, saying that the depots would be used to distribute fuel to multiple military entities in Iran.

Tehran’s main oil refinery is next to one of the fuel sites that was attacked, state media reported.

Meanwhile, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said Iran launched more missiles at them on Sunday, with several striking new categories of civilian infrastructure, The Associated Press wrote.

Dozens dead after Israel attacks Lebanon Sunday

Israel also continued its assault on Lebanon. As of Sunday, at least 394 people have died in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the AP said. Thousands of Lebanese citizens have been displaced as well.

Eighty-three children and 82 women died in these attacks, Lebanon Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said.

Since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28, at least 1,230 people in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and at least 11 in Israel have died, the AP wrote. Six U.S. troops were killed as well.

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Why this story matters

Iran's Assembly of Experts has reached a majority consensus on a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, though the name has not been publicly announced and procedural obstacles remain.

Leadership transition

The assembly faces disagreement over whether to meet in person to finalize the decision, with one member saying such a meeting is not possible under current conditions and would benefit Iran's enemies.

International pressure on succession

President Donald Trump called Khamenei's son Mojtaba an "unacceptable" choice and said he should be involved in selecting Iran's next leader.

Ongoing military strikes

Israel struck fuel depots in Tehran overnight, releasing hazardous materials into the air, while continuing attacks on Lebanon that have killed at least 394 people, including 83 children, since the conflict began.

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Behind the numbers

According to Iran's constitution, a new Supreme Leader must be appointed within three months.

Policy impact

Until a new Supreme Leader is appointed, a temporary Interim Leadership Council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and cleric Alireza Arafi has assumed leadership responsibilities. This council holds interim authority over military command and war declaration powers that normally rest with the Supreme Leader.

Context corner

The Assembly of Experts is an elected body of senior Islamic clerics responsible for selecting and theoretically supervising Iran's Supreme Leader. The Supreme Leader is Iran's highest political and religious authority, with ultimate say over all state affairs, commanding the armed forces and overseeing the Guardian Council.

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Unbiased. Straight Facts.

Don’t just take our word for it.


Certified balanced reporting

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Awarded a perfect reliability rating from NewsGuard

100/100

Welcome back to trustworthy journalism.

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Bias comparison

  • Media outlets on the left foreground human cost and escalation, using emotive terms like "pound," "killed/slain," and quoting criteria such as "hated by the enemy," and often attributing Khamenei’s death to U.S.‑Israeli strikes.
  • Not enough unique coverage from media outlets in the center to provide a bias comparison.
  • Media outlets on the right foreground security and delegitimization, using absolutist, adversarial rhetoric — phrases like "won't hesitate to target you," "target," "who really runs Iran?," and "kept under wraps"— to stress secrecy, regime fragility, and justification for threats.

Media landscape

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165 total sources

Key points from the Left

  • The Assembly of Experts in Iran has largely agreed on a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though some procedural issues remain unsettled regarding the necessity of a final in-person meeting.
  • A candidate has been chosen who follows Khamenei's principle that Iran's top leader should be "hated by the enemy" rather than praised.
  • The United States has mentioned the successor's name and expressed opposition to the candidate.

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Key points from the Center

  • On March 8, Iran's Assembly of Experts said it reached a majority consensus on a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
  • Mehr news agency reported procedural obstacles remain unresolved as a senior cleric said Assembly members disagreed on needing an in-person meeting for the final vote.
  • Assembly members said a candidate was picked following the late leader's guidance that the top leader should "be hated by the enemy," while Israeli media named Mojtaba Khamenei as chosen but Iran's Consulate General denied those reports.

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Key points from the Right

  • Iran's Assembly of Experts has reached a majority consensus on a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though some procedural obstacles remain before a formal announcement.
  • A senior cleric stated that the Assembly selected a leader based on Khamenei's advice that the leader should be "hated by the enemy."
  • The Iranian government denied reports naming Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor amid media speculation and external comments.

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