Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been elected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran, reports said.
He was chosen as Khamenei’s successor by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, reports added.
However, the Iranian government – via the Consulate General in Mumbai’s X handle – had denied the reports, saying that they have “no official source”. “Reports circulating on media regarding potential candidates for leadership selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts have no official source and are officially denied,” it said.
However, the Iranian government, via the Consulate General in Mumbai’s X handle, denied the claims, stating that media reports regarding potential candidates have no official source and are formally rejected.
Khamenei, who ruled the country for 36 years, was killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 when he was in his ‘compound’. Along with him, his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were killed. Khamenei’s wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, also died after succumbing to wounds sustained during the strikes.
Khamenei will be buried in the holy city of Mashhad, and a “large farewell ceremony” will be held in Tehran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a post on Telegram. However, the date for the burial has not yet been disclosed.
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Khamenei had no designated successor. A three-member Iran’s interim Leadership Council comprising – Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei – had assumed the Supreme Leader’s responsibilities until the next successor was elected.
US, Israel-Iran tensions
The joint US-Israel strikes, named ‘Operation Epic Fury’, were launched after stalled nuclear talks and claims that Tehran had resumed its nuclear activities. They targeted many Iranian cities, including the capital, Tehran. Over 700 people have been killed in the attack, reports said.
Hours after the joint attack, Iran launched missiles – many of which hit Gulf regions including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Bahrain. Tensions in the Middle East continued to escalate as Iran vowed to avenge the killing of its Supreme Leader, and US President Donald Trump warned it was “too late” for Iran to seek talks to “escape a war”. Drones and missiles crashed into oil facilities and US embassies in the Gulf as the Islamic Republic retaliated, and Israel pushed troops deeper into Lebanon to battle the Tehran-backed Hezbollah after it entered the fray.
As the conflict entered its fourth day on Tuesday, a drone attack caused a fire at the US consulate in Dubai. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the drone strike and said all the staff “were safe”.