Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late supreme leader, has been named his successor, Iranian state television announced early Monday, as the war that began just over a week ago with the assassination of his father took a dramatic turn.
The younger Khamenei, who had not been seen or heard from publicly since the war began, had long been considered a candidate for the position, even before an Israeli attack killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and even though he was never elected or appointed to a government position.
The announcement came after signs of a rift among Iranian officials as the country awaited a decision from the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics that selects the supreme leader. State television read a statement from the assembly saying he was selected based on “strong” votes and urging the nation to unite behind him. The station broadcast scenes of people celebrating in parts of Tehran.
There has only been one other transfer of power in the position of supreme leader since the Islamic Revolution almost half a century ago.
Khamenei, a reserved figure, 56, is now at the heart of Iran’s theocracy and will have the final say on all matters of state. He will serve as commander in chief of the military and powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. He also has authority over a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be used to build a nuclear weapon, if he chooses to do so.
Khamenei’s selection risks criticism from the United States. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me,” said US President Donald Trump. “We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump told ABC News on Sunday that he wants to have a say in who comes to power once the war ends; a new leader “won’t last long” without his approval.
But Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a statement expressing support, and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah shared a portrait of the young Khamenei on Telegram with the caption: “Leader of the blessed Islamic revolution.”
Senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani, speaking on state television, praised the Assembly of Experts for meeting “bravely” even as airstrikes continued in Tehran. He added that the younger Khamenei had been trained by his father and “can handle this situation.”
Regional anger grows over strikes
The war’s death toll on civilian targets rose as Bahrain accused Iran of attacking a desalination plant vital to its drinking water supply, and oil depots in Tehran burned following Israeli strikes overnight.
As the war impedes oil production and transportation in the region, crude oil prices have surpassed $100 per barrel for the first time in more than three and a half years. The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was trading at $101.19 on Sunday, 9.2% higher than Friday’s closing price.
In a sign of growing regional anger, the head of the Arab League lashed out at Iran for its “reckless policy” of attacking its neighbors, including those hosting US forces. Gulf countries have been attacked by hundreds of missiles and drones since the war began on February 28.
Saudi Arabia reported its first deaths, saying a military projectile fell on a residential area and killed two people of Indian and Bangladeshi nationality. Foreign residents and workers have accounted for the majority of war deaths in Gulf nations.
Israel reported its first soldier death, saying two were killed in southern Lebanon, where its army is fighting Hezbollah. The US military said a service member died from injuries sustained in an Iranian attack on troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1. Seven American soldiers have already died.
The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and at least 11 in Israel, according to officials.
Desalination and oil facilities attacked
Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia reported that additional Iranian missiles were launched toward them.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged neighboring states not to participate in US and Israeli attacks. The US attacks do not come from Arab governments in the Gulf but from US bases and ships in the region.
Bahrain accused Iran of indiscriminately attacking civilian targets and damaging one of its desalination plants, although its electricity and water authority said supplies remained online.
Desalination plants supply water to millions of the region’s residents and thousands of stranded travelers, raising new fears of catastrophic risks in arid desert nations.
The attack came after Iran said a US airstrike damaged a desalination plant there. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attack on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz had cut off water supplies to 30 villages.
He warned that by doing so “the United States set this precedent, not Iran.”
In response, CENTCOM spokesman U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said, “U.S. forces do not attack civilians, period.”
Iranian authorities also said that Israel’s overnight attacks on four oil storage tankers and an oil transfer terminal killed four people. Witnesses in Tehran said the smoke was so thick it seemed as if the sun had not risen.
Israel’s military said the oil deposits were used by Iran’s military as fuel to launch missiles.
The Iranian Red Crescent warned Tehran residents to take precautions against toxic air pollution and the risk of acid rain. It also said some 10,000 civilian structures across the country had been damaged, including homes, schools and nearly three dozen health facilities.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that it could soon become more difficult to produce and sell oil. Some regional producers, including Iraq, have reduced production amid dangers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Lebanon says half a million displaced people
Lebanon said more than half a million people have been displaced in the week of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The real figure is likely higher. Lebanon’s count of 517,000 refers to those who registered on the government’s online portal. Over the past week, Israel has asked residents of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon and the entire southern suburbs of Beirut to evacuate.
Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said the dead included 83 children and 82 women.
In Beirut, families receiving shelter crowded into schools, slept in cars or in open areas near the Mediterranean Sea, where some burned wood to stay warm.
Israel’s renewed offensive began last week after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel during the early days of the war with Iran.
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This story was reported by The Associated Press. Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, Chehayeb from Beirut and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel and Aamer Madhani in Doral, Florida, contributed to this report.
