Iran Fires Missiles as Mojtaba Khamenei Succeeds Father as Supreme Leader

Iran Fires Missiles as Mojtaba Khamenei Succeeds Father as Supreme Leader

Iran fired a new wave of missiles and drones toward Israel and several Gulf nations early Monday after the Islamic Republic appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader, succeeding his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The escalation comes nine days after joint US-Israeli strikes killed Ali Khamenei, plunging the Middle East into a rapidly expanding conflict that has already drawn in multiple regional actors and rattled global markets.

Iranian state television announced the appointment of the 56-year-old cleric following a decision by the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the powerful body responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader.

Reading the official statement, a presenter said 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 clerical body said it “did not hesitate for a minute” in naming a successor despite what it described as “the brutal aggression of criminal America and the evil Zionist regime.”

Shortly after the announcement, Iranian state media broadcast footage of a projectile reportedly launched toward Israel bearing the slogan “At Your Command, Sayyid Mojtaba,” signalling loyalty to the new leader.

The missile barrage targeted Israel and several Gulf states, intensifying fears that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional war. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones heading toward an eastern oil field, while the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported missile attacks within their territories. Authorities in Bahrain said air raid sirens were activated after an Iranian drone strike wounded 32 people on the island of Sitra, including a 17-year-old girl with severe head and eye injuries and a two-month-old baby.

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Saudi officials also reported that a projectile struck Al-Kharj province, killing two people and injuring 12 others. In Israel, authorities said Iranian missile attacks have killed 10 people, as air defence systems intercepted several incoming projectiles overnight.

In response, Israel launched another wave of air strikes, targeting infrastructure and strategic facilities in central Iran. The Israeli military said the operations were aimed at weakening Iran’s military capabilities and disrupting logistical networks used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Over the weekend, Israeli forces also carried out a strike on a hotel in central Beirut, reportedly targeting five commanders of the IRGC’s Qods Force, the unit responsible for coordinating Iran’s overseas military operations. Lebanon’s health ministry said four people were killed and 10 injured in the Beirut strike.

The conflict has also intensified in Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah militants said their fighters were engaged in ongoing clashes with Israeli forces. Hezbollah claimed Israeli troops landed in eastern Lebanon using 15 helicopters crossing from Syria, triggering fierce fighting near the town of Nabi Sheet.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported heavy clashes in the area, while officials said Israeli strikes across the country have killed at least 394 people, including 83 children and 42 women, since the war began. Two Israeli soldiers were also reported killed during operations in Lebanon.

Inside Iran, the health ministry said at least 1,200 civilians have been killed and about 10,000 wounded since the war began, although the figures could not be independently verified. The conflict erupted amid recent nationwide protests in Iran, which security forces had previously crushed with deadly force.

Analysts say the new leader, widely viewed as a hardline cleric closely aligned with the Revolutionary Guard, is expected to maintain his father’s tough stance against dissent and Western influence.

The widening conflict has sent global oil prices soaring, with benchmark crude climbing above $100 per barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. The spike reflects fears that the war could disrupt energy supplies, particularly if fighting spreads to key shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply passes daily.

Stock markets across Asia fell sharply on Monday as investors reacted to rising geopolitical risks and higher energy costs. Despite the surge in oil prices, US President Donald Trump dismissed the spike as a “small price to pay” for eliminating what he described as the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear programme.

Trump had earlier dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei as a “lightweight” and suggested that Washington should influence who leads Iran. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” he said in an interview before the leadership announcement.

Israel’s defence minister had also warned that whoever succeeded Ali Khamenei would become a potential military target, while the Israeli military vowed to pursue Iran’s leadership if necessary.

As the conflict escalates, the US State Department ordered non-emergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia, days after a drone strike hit the US embassy compound in the kingdom. Trump said any decision on how long the war continues would be coordinated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I think it’s mutual… a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged full loyalty to the new supreme leader, saying its forces were ready for “complete obedience and self-sacrifice” in carrying out his orders.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the leadership transition would “guarantee national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, as diplomats declared their allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei.

With missile exchanges continuing across multiple fronts, analysts warn the crisis could develop into one of the most dangerous Middle East conflicts in decades, with far-reaching consequences for global security and energy markets.

Iran Fires Missiles as Mojtaba Khamenei Succeeds Father as Supreme Leader