Iran names Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, as new supreme leader

Iran's Assembly of ⁠Experts has announced Mojtaba Khamenei ⁠to replace his ‌father, ​Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader, state media reported ​on Sunday.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, "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 in a statement.

It said that the institution "did not hesitate for a minute" in choosing a new leader, despite "the brutal aggression of the criminal America and the evil Zionist regime".

Mojtaba, ⁠a mid-ranking cleric with close ties to the powerful Revolutionary ⁠Guards, ‌had long been viewed by elements of ‌Iran's ruling establishment ⁠as a potential successor to his father, ‌who was ‌killed after the ‌United States ‌and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Although Iran's ruling ideology frowns ⁠on ⁠the principle of hereditary succession, he has a powerful following within the Guards and his dead ​father's still-influential office.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards pledged allegiance on Sunday to the country's new supreme leader.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps... is ready for complete obedience and self-sacrifice in carrying out the divine commands of the Guardian Jurist of the time, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei", the Guards said in a statement.

(with inputs from agencies)