Iran Assembly of Experts Names Mojtaba Khamenei Supreme Leader as Iran Expands Missile and Drone Attacks on Israel and Gulf States
Iran’s Assembly of Experts has named Mojtaba Khamenei — a U.S.‑sanctioned, hard‑line cleric with close ties to the IRGC who had long operated behind the scenes — as the country’s new Supreme Leader after the strikes that killed his father and numerous senior figures and family members. The announcement came as Iran launched fresh waves of missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf states, causing civilian injuries and damage to energy infrastructure, drawing regional condemnations, U.S. diplomatic moves and public threats from Israeli and U.S. officials.
📌 Key Facts
- Iran’s Assembly of Experts formally named Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader after state media said his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed on Feb. 28 in a strike that also killed roughly 40 senior officials; the Assembly’s building in Qom was itself hit on March 3.
- Iranian authorities say Mojtaba survived earlier targeted strikes; he is widely described as a hardline, mid‑level cleric (not an ayatollah) who long operated behind the scenes, has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and security apparatus, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2019, and is reported to control extensive opaque foreign business holdings.
- Several of Mojtaba’s close relatives — including his wife (reported as Zahra Adel/Haddad Adel), his mother Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, and a son — were reported killed in the opening airstrikes.
- Following the succession announcement, Iran expanded missile and drone attacks against Israel and multiple Gulf states (including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and targets affecting Qatar), with waves of strikes reported; impacts include civilian injuries (e.g., at least 32 injured on Bahrain’s Sitra island), infrastructure damage, an oil‑facility fire in the UAE, and Bapco in Bahrain declaring force majeure.
- Aggregate casualty tallies reported across the conflict include more than 1,200 killed in Iran, nearly 400 in Lebanon, 11 in Israel, and seven U.S. service members killed since the war began.
- Regional and international responses have been sharp: the IRGC and allied groups like Hezbollah publicly endorsed Mojtaba, while the U.S. State Department ordered diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia; Israeli officials and President Donald Trump publicly denounced the appointment — Trump called Mojtaba 'unacceptable' and said a new leader 'is not going to last long' without U.S. approval, and Israeli leaders threatened to target any leader continuing an anti‑Israel/anti‑U.S. course.
- The crisis is disrupting markets and regional energy supplies: Brent crude rose above $100 per barrel (briefly nearing $120 in some reports) and Asian markets fell on fears of wider supply disruptions, while Gulf energy operators have declared force majeure and reported operational impacts.
- Reporting indicated visible rifts among Iranian officials during the succession process and suggested the Assembly’s decision may have been taken under pressure from the IRGC; state media broadcast the Assembly’s statement urging unity and showed scenes of celebrations in parts of Tehran.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, Black service members made up 17.3% of the U.S. active-duty military, compared to 13.6% of the U.S. population, indicating overrepresentation, while Hispanics comprised 18.1% of active-duty personnel versus 18.9% of the population.
2023 Demographics Profile of the Military Community — Military OneSource
Oil price uncertainty shocks increase unemployment rates 2-3 times more for Black workers and significantly more for Hispanic workers compared to White workers in the U.S., based on data from 1980-2020.
Racial and ethnic disparities in unemployment and oil price uncertainty — Energy Economics
As of 2023, approximately 750,000 registered Afghan refugees live in Iran, with estimates of total Afghans ranging from 4 to 6 million, making them vulnerable to displacement in escalating conflicts.
Refugees in Iran — UNHCR
The 1953 U.S.-backed coup in Iran, which overthrew Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, has contributed to long-term anti-Western sentiment and current U.S.-Iran tensions, with between 200 and 300 people killed during the event.
1953 Iranian coup d'état — Wikipedia
In a 2023 poll, 59% of Americans disapproved of U.S. military strikes in Iran, with disapproval varying by party: 86% among Democrats and 15% among Republicans, though racial breakdowns were not specified in the poll.
CNN poll: 59% of Americans disapprove of Iran strikes and most think a long-term conflict is likely — CNN
📰 Source Timeline (13)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 09, 2026
9:59 AM
Iran attacks Israel, Gulf states, after naming new leader on Day 10 of war
New information:
- Confirms Iran launched a fresh round of missile and drone attacks overnight into March 9 targeting Israel and several Gulf states, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
- Reports at least 32 injuries, including children, from an Iranian strike on the island of Sitra in Bahrain, and notes Bahrain’s state oil company Bapco has declared force majeure due to disruptions after a drone attack.
- Details Qatar’s claim that an Iranian strike on a residential facility in Al‑Kharj, Saudi Arabia, killed two civilians and wounded others, and that officials in Fujairah, UAE, reported a fire at an oil facility hit overnight.
- Notes Saudi Arabia’s interception of several drones targeting the Shaybah oil field and an official Saudi Foreign Ministry statement condemning the attacks and warning it may take 'all necessary measures' to defend itself.
- Provides updated aggregate casualty numbers: more than 1,200 killed in Iran, nearly 400 in Lebanon, 11 in Israel, and 7 U.S. service members killed since the war began.
- Reports crude oil prices briefly neared $120 per barrel Monday amid fears of wider supply disruptions tied to the new Iranian attacks.
- Reiterates that Mojtaba Khamenei has close ties to the IRGC, that the Assembly of Experts called on the public and elites to pledge allegiance, and that President Trump had previously said Mojtaba would be an 'unacceptable' successor.
8:18 AM
Live Updates: Iran Names Khamenei’s Son Supreme Leader
New information:
- Iranian state media say Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed by a committee of senior Shiite clerics, with the succession framed explicitly as continuity with his slain father Ali Khamenei.
- Iran says it has launched at least two new waves of missiles toward Israel as the war enters its 10th day, while Israel reports strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut and targets inside Iran.
- The U.S. State Department has directed American diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia, signaling Washington’s concern about rising risks in the kingdom.
- Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry reports intercepting four separate attacks involving five drones headed toward the Shaybah oil field, two more drones over northern Riyadh, and three ballistic missiles targeting a Saudi air base.
- Qatar’s Foreign Ministry publicly blames Iran for an attack that killed two civilians in Saudi Arabia, calling it a 'dangerous escalation' that threatens regional security.
- Bahrain’s state-owned energy company has declared force majeure on its operations after an attack on its refinery complex, citing the ongoing conflict.
- The liveblog notes oil has surged above $100 with Asian markets reacting sharply lower as trading opened, with Democrats in the U.S. warning of an affordability crisis for consumers.
- The piece reiterates that Israeli officials have threatened to kill the new supreme leader and that President Trump called Mojtaba Khamenei an 'unacceptable' choice and warned he is 'not going to last long' without U.S. approval.
1:33 AM
Iran names new supreme leader, 7th U.S. troop dies in war
New information:
- CBS segment reiterates that Mojtaba Khamenei has now been named Iran’s new supreme leader, consistent with prior reporting.
- U.S. Central Command reports that a seventh American service member has died in the ongoing war with Iran.
12:27 AM
Iran Signals a Fight to the End With Appointment of Khamenei’s Son
New information:
- This piece explicitly frames Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment as a direct act of defiance toward President Trump and evidence that U.S. pressure has failed to cow the regime into surrender.
- It underscores that Mojtaba is a conservative long close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and that his elevation appears to cement hard‑liners firmly in control, with moderates and reformists long marginalized.
- The article characterizes the 56‑year‑old Mojtaba Khamenei as expected to take a confrontational stance toward the West, sharpening expectations for how he will approach the war.
March 08, 2026
11:45 PM
Iran names Khamenei’s son as new supreme leader
New information:
- Article explicitly notes that Iranian state TV announced Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection early Monday and read a statement from the Assembly of Experts saying he was chosen based on 'strong' votes and urging national unity.
- Reports that Iranian state TV broadcast scenes of people celebrating in parts of Tehran after the announcement.
- Direct new Trump quotes: he called Mojtaba Khamenei 'unacceptable' as Supreme Leader, said 'We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,' and told ABC News he wants a say in who comes to power and that a new leader 'is not going to last long' without his approval.
- Confirms public endorsements from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah, including Hezbollah circulating a portrait of Mojtaba Khamenei on Telegram captioned 'Leader of the blessed Islamic revolution.'
- Adds fresh operational details on the war’s regional impact: Bahrain accuses Iran of striking a key desalination plant, Saudi Arabia reports its first two deaths from a projectile hitting a residential area, and Gulf countries have been struck by hundreds of missiles and drones since Feb. 28.
- Updates market figures: Brent crude at about $101.19 per barrel, up 9.2% from Friday’s close, with oil above $100 for the first time in more than three and a half years.
10:51 PM
Iran names new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Iranian state media reports
New information:
- Iranian state media now report that Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei has been formally named Iran’s new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts.
- The piece details that the Assembly of Experts consists of 88 clerics supervised by the 12-member Guardian Council, clarifying the institutional mechanics of the succession.
- It notes explicitly that Ali Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28 in a strike that also killed about 40 other high-ranking Iranian officials.
- The article provides biographical detail on Mojtaba’s long-standing behind-the-scenes role in his father’s office, his influence within the IRGC and security apparatus, his participation in the Iran–Iraq war, and his likely role in coordinating the 2009 Green Movement crackdown.
- It underscores that Mojtaba has never held elected office, has never given a public speech, and is widely seen by analysts as a hardliner whose authority derives more from security ties than religious stature.
10:35 PM
Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran's late supreme leader, is chosen to replace his father
New information:
- Details that Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, was also killed in the initial Israeli airstrike and that her family has long-standing ties to Iran’s theocracy.
- Confirmation that the Assembly of Experts’ choice followed visible signs of rifts among Iranian officials while the decision was pending.
- Reporting that Mojtaba now has direct command over Iran’s military at war, including the Revolutionary Guard, and over a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be used for a nuclear weapon if he decrees it.
- Context that U.S. President Donald Trump publicly derided Mojtaba as a 'lightweight,' said 'Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me,' and claimed he 'has to be involved' in the appointment, which may have indirectly boosted Mojtaba’s standing among Iranian hard‑liners.
- Historical and biographical context about Mojtaba’s background, including his role analogous to Ahmad Khomeini as aide, confidant, gatekeeper and power broker before his elevation.
10:35 PM
US-sanctioned Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s next supreme leader after father’s death: reports
New information:
- Fox cites Iran International reporting that the Assembly of Experts has elected Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader and that the decision was allegedly made "under pressure" from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- Provides biographical detail on Mojtaba Khamenei’s upbringing, clerical training, and role as an influential behind‑the‑scenes figure, including studies under his father and former chief justice Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.
- Reiterates that the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Mojtaba in 2019 under Executive Order 13867, saying he represented the supreme leader in an official capacity despite never holding an elected or formal government post, and that he worked closely with IRGC Quds Force and Basij commanders.
- Notes that initial reports had said Mojtaba was among about 40 officials killed in the Feb. 28 strike, but that he has now reportedly emerged as the chosen successor.
- Adds Trump’s comment that "most of the people we had in mind are dead" regarding Iran’s succession bench, framing Mojtaba as a survivor of the targeted leadership strike.
10:35 PM
What we know about Mojtaba Khamenei, new supreme leader of Iran
New information:
- CBS segment explicitly frames Mojtaba Khamenei as the newly named Supreme Leader and son of Ali Khamenei, reinforcing the dynastic nature of the succession.
- It underscores that Iranian authorities have publicly and formally presented him as the new Supreme Leader following Ali Khamenei’s death.
- Adds a mainstream U.S. TV-network framing that this is a significant leadership transition being watched by U.S. policymakers and publics, though the clip itself is light on granular biographical detail beyond what is already known.
9:24 PM
Mojtaba Khamenei set to succeed his father as Iran’s supreme leader
New information:
- Confirms that Iran’s regime has officially named Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, making him the third person to hold the post.
- Specifies that the Assembly of Experts selected him, and notes the assembly’s building in Qom was itself hit in a March 3 airstrike.
- Reports additional family casualties from the opening airstrikes: Mojtaba’s wife Zahra Adel, his mother Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, and his son were killed according to Iranian state media.
- Adds that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz explicitly threatened on X that any leader appointed by Iran’s regime to continue its anti‑Israel/anti‑U.S. course would be an "unequivocal target for elimination."
- Reiterates and expands Trump’s televised statement that any new Iranian leader will "have to get approval from us" and that without it "he’s not going to last long," while noting Trump did not rule out someone with ties to the old regime.
- Details Mojtaba Khamenei’s status as a mid‑level cleric (not an ayatollah), paralleling his father’s elevation in 1989, and references prior reporting on his foreign real‑estate holdings worth over $100 million.
- Frames Mojtaba as de‑facto leader of the wider "Axis of Resistance" network of armed groups (Hezbollah, Houthis, Hamas and others), with several senior Iranian military officials already killed in the campaign.
9:16 PM
Iran's next supreme leader: Khamenei's hardline son Mojtaba
New information:
- Iranian state media now report that Mojtaba Khamenei will succeed his father Ali Khamenei as Iran’s next supreme leader.
- Axios notes that U.S. and Israeli ‘major combat operations’ killed Ali Khamenei after Iran refused to agree to a nuclear deal, and that those strikes also targeted Mojtaba and other senior figures but he survived.
- The article states that several top security officials — Ali Shamkhani, IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh — are dead, ‘scrambling’ Iran’s top leadership.
- Background detail that Mojtaba is widely expected to be more hardline than his father, with alleged roles in engineering Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2005 election win and supervising the IRGC’s crackdown on 2009 protests.
- Axios cites prior reporting that Mojtaba oversees a large, opaque global business empire of luxury properties and investments despite U.S. sanctions imposed on him in 2019.
6:09 PM
Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei successor to the late supreme leader
New information:
- Confirms via AP/PBS that Iranian state TV read a statement from the Assembly of Experts saying Mojtaba Khamenei was selected based on "strong" votes and urging the nation to unite behind him, while airing scenes of people celebrating in parts of Tehran.
- Details that President Donald Trump has publicly said, "Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran," and told ABC News that any new leader "is not going to last long" without his approval.
- Reports explicit endorsements from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and from Hezbollah, which posted Mojtaba’s portrait on Telegram with the caption, "Leader of the blessed Islamic revolution."
- Quotes senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani praising the Assembly of Experts for convening amid airstrikes and saying Mojtaba had been trained by his father and "can handle this situation."
- Adds regional fallout details: Bahrain accuses Iran of striking a vital desalination plant; Saudi Arabia reports its first deaths from the war after a projectile hit a residential area; Arab League chief condemns Iran’s "reckless policy" of attacking neighbors hosting U.S. forces.