Tehran, Iran. Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is alive and favoured to emerge as his father’s successor. The report came as Iran faced continued attacks and prepared for large public mourning gatherings.
Succession process and official comments
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was not in Tehran during the strike that destroyed the leader’s compound and killed Ali Khamenei’s wife, another son, and a number of senior military and leadership figures.
Iran said the Assembly of Experts, which selects the new leader, would announce its decision soon, only the second time it has done so since the Islamic Republic’s founding in 1979.
“The Supreme Leader will be identified in the closest opportunity, we are close to a conclusion. However the situation in the country is a war situation,” Assembly member Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami told state TV, adding that candidates had already been identified without naming them.
Ongoing military campaign
Explosions were reported in Tehran as the United States and Israel continued attacks on Iran. The top U.S. commander said the campaign was “ahead of the game plan.”
Israel said it would hunt down whoever was chosen as the next leader. “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Israel said its forces hit targets across Iran for a fifth day, and said an Israeli F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran, which it said was believed to be the first time the F-35 has downed a manned aircraft in combat.
Market reaction
Global market declines deepened in Asia, including a record-breaking crash in Seoul, as investors were unconvinced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s assurances he would quickly reopen a major shipping corridor and release blockaded Middle East oil and gas.
What impact do you think the succession decision could have on the conflict and regional stability?
