❓WHAT HAPPENED: Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Iranian dictator Ali Khamenei, has been named Supreme Leader following his father’s death.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Khamenei, U.S. President Donald J. Trump, and Israeli officials.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Monday, March 9, 2026.
🎯IMPACT: The appointment decreases the chances of a quick Iranian surrender.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s deceased dictator, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been selected to replace his father as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. The National Pulse reported last week that Mojtaba Khamenei, despite having no prior government role nor significant position within the Twelver Islam religious sect, was poised to take over from his father, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes at the end of February.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump has previously called Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment “unacceptable.” Meanwhile, Israel has stated that they would consider anyone elected to replace Ali Khamenei to be a legitimate military target.
According to some sources, Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded at some point during the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, though how serious his injuries are is unknown. The U.S. and Israeli militaries began hitting key political and military targets in Iran on February 28, in Operation Epic Fury. On the first day, it is believed that between 40 and 50 of the Iranian regime’s top military and political leaders were killed, including the former Supreme Leader.
Despite days of bombings that have weakened the regime’s grip on power, Iran has maintained an aggressive stance, launching dozens of drone attacks against Israel and U.S. allies in the region. Mojtaba Khamenei is now the third Supreme Leader of Iran since the country’s 1979 revolution.
Image by Mahmoud Hosseini / Tasnim News Agency.
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