Iran Fires Missiles After Mojtaba Khamenei Emerges as New Supreme Leader

Iran launched missile attacks on Israel and several Gulf countries shortly after Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was appointed as the country’s new leader.

The appointment came nine days after US-Israeli strikes reportedly killed Ali Khamenei, an incident that triggered a broader conflict across the Middle East. Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader, announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the third leader of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

Following the announcement, Iran fired projectiles toward Israel, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drones heading toward an oil field, and countries including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain reported missile threats or attacks.

The escalation intensified the regional war, prompting fresh Israeli strikes on infrastructure in central Iran and triggering economic shocks, with global oil prices rising sharply amid fears of supply disruption.

The new leader, a cleric considered close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has received support from the military, which pledged loyalty and readiness to follow his commands.

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