Iran’s Assembly of Experts has appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader, succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed last week.
Mojtaba Khamenei
The announcement came Sunday, March 8, 2026, via state media. The clerical body, tasked under Iran’s constitution with selecting the Supreme Leader, described the choice as resulting from a “decisive vote” and urged national unity.
The statement called on Iranians—”especially elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities”—to pledge allegiance and safeguard unity.
Ali Khamenei, who led Iran since 1989, was assassinated on February 28 during a joint US-Israel military operation targeting leadership sites in Tehran amid rising regional tensions.
The succession follows US President Donald Trump’s public criticism of Mojtaba, whom he called a “lightweight” unfit for leadership.
