Tehran/Washington, 04 March (H.S.): In a swift dynastic pivot, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, second son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been elected as Iran's new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts, Israeli media and reports confirmed early Wednesday, capping a tumultuous succession process triggered by US-Israeli strikes.
The 56-year-old Mojtaba, long rumored as a frontrunner despite lacking formal designation from his father—who ruled for 36 years—was chosen amid fears that public announcement could invite further targeting, sources close to the Assembly revealed.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei perished on February 28 in Operation Epic Fury (US codename) or Roaring Lion (Israeli), a barrage of over 200 jets and cruise missiles that decimated Tehran's leadership compound, killing Khamenei's wife, daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter alongside him.
Since March 1, an Interim Leadership Council—comprising President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi—has steered the Islamic Republic through escalating conflict, as mandated by Article 111 of the constitution.
Iranian state media announced 40 days of mourning, with Khamenei's burial slated for Mashhad's holy shrine following a Tehran ceremony, though dates remain undisclosed amid retaliatory drone and missile salvos on Gulf targets including Dubai and US assets.
The strikes, launched post-stalled nuclear talks amid Tehran's alleged atomic resurgence, have claimed over 700 lives and crippled Iranian air defenses, naval assets, and commanders, per Pentagon disclosures.
President Donald Trump hailed the operation's success, warning of a third wave as Iran barrages Israel and US bases, with civilian casualties mounting in the UAE and Beit Shemesh.
Mojtaba's ascension, unopposed by reformists or Qom rivals in the vetted Assembly, signals continuity of hardline theocracy but invites scrutiny over his low public profile and potential vulnerability in a war pitting Tehran against a US-Israel axis now fracturing NATO cohesion.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
