Tehran fires new missiles as Khamenei's son takes charge
Trump says new Iran leader won't last long without his approval
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
TEHRAN, Mar 09 (AFP): Iran fired missiles at Israel early Monday in the name of the Islamic republic's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected to succeed his slain father despite threats by the United States and Israel to target him next.
Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war, Shiite clerics convened to choose the country's third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
An announcer on state television solemnly read a statement from the 88-member Assembly of Experts next to a picture of the new 56-year-old leader, who bears a striking resemblance to his father.
Mojtaba Khamenei "is appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the decisive vote of the respected representatives of the Assembly of Experts", the statement said.
It said the clerical body "did not hesitate for a minute" in choosing a new leader despite "the brutal aggression of the criminal America and the evil Zionist regime".