Iranian media reported on Sunday that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, has been selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts as the new supreme leader of the country.
The younger Khamenei is 56 years old and is said to have close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He is taking power following the killing of not only his father, but also his wife, mother, and sister, in an Israeli airstrike in one of the opening attacks of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
After his appointment, the IRGC pledged its “sincere and life-long allegiance” to Khamenei and emphasized that it will “listen to orders and be ready to implement” them. The IRGC added that his election “proved to everyone that the movement of the Islamic system does not stop, and the revolution and the Islamic system do not depend on individuals.”
The choosing of Khamenei is seen as a defiant move in the face of US pressure, as President Trump has said he would not be an acceptable replacement for his father. Trump has said he must have a say in who Iran’s next leader is and has demanded the Islamic Republic’s “unconditional surrender,” signs that the war will not end anytime soon.
Iranian officials have also maintained that they do not seek a ceasefire and are ready to continue fighting the US. The killing of the senior Khamenei hasn’t stopped the Iranian military response, and there’s been no sign that the government is close to collapsing or that any kind of uprising will start inside the country.
