Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been elected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts as the country’s next Supreme Leader.
Ayatollah Khamenei, who had led Iran for 36 years, was killed on 28 February in joint US-Israeli strikes on his compound. His daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and wife Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh also died in the attack.
Plans are underway for a major funeral ceremony in Tehran, with burial to take place in Mashhad, though the date has not yet been announced.
Following Khamenei’s death, a temporary three-member Leadership Council—Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei—assumed leadership duties until a successor was chosen.
The strikes, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, were carried out after nuclear negotiations collapsed and amid accusations that Iran had resumed nuclear activities. The attacks hit several Iranian cities, including Tehran, and reportedly killed more than 700 people.
In retaliation, Iran launched missiles that struck parts of the Gulf, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Bahrain. The escalation continued as Iran vowed revenge, while US President Donald Trump warned that it was “too late” for Tehran to seek talks to avoid war.
Subsequent clashes included drone and missile strikes on oil facilities and US embassies in the Gulf, while Israel advanced into Lebanon to confront Hezbollah.
On the fourth day of fighting, a drone strike set fire to the US consulate in Dubai. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the incident but said all staff were unharmed.
