Weeks after the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran said on Sunday that it has chosen the slain 86-year-old leader’s successor. However, as Iran prepares to reveal who the next Supreme Leader is, the United States and Israel are already preparing to go after the new leader.
On February 28, the US and Israel carried out joint military strikes against Iran, killing over 1,200 people, including Ali Khamenei. Following the joint attacks, Tehran vowed to avenge the death of its Supreme Leader and launched retaliatory strikes which has now brought the Gulf region to the brink of a regional war.
Iran hints Khamenei’s son Mojtaba to take over
Amid escalating tensions, senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Hosseinali Eshkevari, who is a member of the Assembly of Experts, stated that Iran has chosen its next leader.
Eshkevari, who was involved in the vote to choose a new supreme leader indicated that Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba would be his successor. However, although a formal announcement is awaited.
The comment by the senior cleric comes amid growing expectations that Mojtaba Khamenei, a hardline cleric like his father, would be named as supreme leader, a position giving him the final say in all matters of state in the Islamic Republic.
“The name of Khamenei will continue,” Eshkevari, one of the 88 members of the assembly, said in a video published in Iranian media, adding that the vote has been cast and an announcement will be made soon.
Trump says new Iran leader ‘won’t last long’
Amid the suspense over Iran’s next leader, US President Donald Trump has stated that the new leader “won’t last long without his approval”.
Speaking to ABC News, the Republican leader said that Iran would need approval from the US before appointing its next leader.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” POTUS added further.
Backing Trump, Israel has also stated it will continue to pursue the successor of Khamenei and anyone who is appointed after him.
After the elimination of the tyrant Khamenei, the Iranian terrorist regime is attempting to regroup and choose a new Supreme Leader,” the Israel Defense Forces wrote, adding that the IDF “will not hesitate to target” those taking part in the process of choosing the next successor as well.
