‘Name of Khamenei will continue’: Iran hints Khamenei's son Mojtaba will be named supreme leader
U.S. and Israeli officials are considering deploying special forces in Iran to secure uranium stockpiles. Iran has reportedly selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor to his father amid escalating tensions, while Trump insists U.S. approval is necessary for the new leader's legitimacy.
Iran on Sunday signalled that it has effectively selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as his successor, as tensions escalated with overnight strikes by Israel on fuel depots in Tehran, as reported by Reuters.
"The name of Khamenei will continue," said Ayatollah Hosseinali Eshkevari, a member of the clerical council charged with electing a new leader, in a video published in Iranian media, Reuters reported.
"The vote has been cast and will be announced soon," Eshkevari said, without providing further details.
The council's secretary, Hosseini Bushehri, would announce the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - who was killed earlier in the conflict - Ahmad Alamolhoda, another cleric, told state media, as reported by Reuters.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday Washington should have a say in the selection. "If he doesn't get approval from us he's not going to last long," he told ABC News.
Israel stated that it continues to target senior Iranian officials, including Abolqasem Babaian, who had recently been appointed head of the supreme leader’s military office and was killed in a strike on Saturday.
Two Iranian sources told Reuters last week that Mojtaba Khamenei, who built influence inside Iran's security forces and vast business networks under his father, remained the clear favourite. Choosing him would signal that hardliners remain firmly in charge.
Donald Trump has defended the largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion by claiming that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, though he has not presented evidence to support this. He also stated that Iran was nearing the capability to develop a nuclear weapon, Reuters reported.
According to Axios, U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed the possibility of deploying special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the conflict. When asked on Saturday about sending ground troops to protect nuclear sites, Trump said such action would only occur if the Iranian forces were “so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level.”
Iran targets Israel
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Sunday said they targeted with missiles the coastal city of Tel Aviv and the Negev desert in Israel, as well as US air bases in the region, AFP reported.
"The 29th wave of Operation Honest Promise 4 was launched with new-generation missiles of the aerospace force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps towards Tel Aviv, the Negev desert and terrorist American air bases in the region," they said in a statement carried by Iranian media outlets.
The ongoing U.S.–Israeli attacks have, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador, killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands more.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Mausam Jha is a journalist who focuses on world affairs and politics. She provides clear, informative reporting with a good understanding of both global events and their local impact. <br><br> Her clear, accessible reporting on political and international issues makes her a trusted source of news and analysis. <br><br> For the past three years, Mausam has worked with Mint, covering national politics, IR—including elections—and global affairs.<br> Before joining her current role, she gained experience working with The Statesman, ANI, and Financial Express, where she honed her skills in political and international news. <br><br> She has consistently tracked key electoral battles, including US elections, Japan elections, policy debates, and strategic affairs, explaining how global currents, from great power competition to regional conflicts <br><br> Beyond journalism, Mausam has a deep engagement with international relations, diplomacy, war studies, terrorism, political history, and political theory. She is particularly interested in the intersection of statecraft and society on how governance, ideology, and institutions shape lived realities, and how politics shape today's world order. <br><br> An avid reader of classical literature and political thought, she constantly explores the connections between historical ideas and contemporary policy challenges.