Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as his successor. Members of the clerical body responsible for selecting Iran’s highest authority announced the decision on Sunday, calling on Iranians to rally behind him and preserve national unity. In a statement carried by state media, the assembly said Khamenei had been chosen through what it described as a “decisive vote”. The body urged citizens across the country, “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities”, to pledge allegiance to the new leadership and safeguard unity at a critical moment for Iran. The appointment was welcomed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Iranian regime.