"With Iran's theocracy under assault by the U.S. and Israel for more than a week, the country's Assembly of Experts chose as the next supreme leader a secretive, 56-year-old cleric who maintains close ties to the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard has been firing missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf Arab states since the younger Khamenei's father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed Feb. 28 during the war's opening salvo."
"There appeared to be some dissension over his selection. Political figures within Iran criticized the idea of handing over the supreme leader's title based on heredity and thereby creating a clerical version of the rule of the shah, who was toppled during the 1979 Islamic Revolution."
"Khamenei, who is believed to hold views that are even more hard-line than his late father, now will be in charge of Iran's armed forces and any decision regarding Tehran's nuclear program."
Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric with close ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, has been selected as Iran's next supreme leader following his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death on February 28. The appointment occurred as Iran escalated attacks across the Middle East, targeting oil and water facilities in Gulf states. The conflict has disrupted global energy markets, pushing oil prices above $100 per barrel and reducing natural gas supplies after Qatar halted production. Though Mojtaba had never held elected office, he was long considered a contender for the position. Some Iranian political figures opposed the hereditary succession, viewing it as contrary to revolutionary principles. The younger Khamenei, believed to hold more hard-line views than his father, now controls Iran's armed forces and nuclear program decisions.
#iran-leadership-succession #middle-east-conflict #energy-markets-disruption #nuclear-program-control #regional-military-escalation
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