Assembly of Experts select Iran's new supreme leader; Israel vows to eliminate Khamenei's successor

TEHRAN: The new supreme leader was chosen by the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body, but Iran refrained from announcing his name. Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is rumoured to be the successor. Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the first Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, top cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani have also been mentioned as possible candidates.

Representatives of the committee responded that "certain obstacles" need to be cleared before a public announcement can be made. The Assembly of Experts has 88 members. It is a body of religious scholars elected by the people. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who led Iran for 37 years, was killed in an airstrike by Israel and the US on February 28, the first day of the war. Israel has vowed to eliminate the successor.

Iran continues to launch a strong attack on the Gulf countries as President Masoud Pezeshkian 's apology went into vain. Pezeshkian said that they would not attack Gulf countries unless an attack targeting Tehran originates from them. However, the army and Chief Justice Gholam Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje rejected Pezeshkian’s statement.

A Pakistani national was killed in Dubai on Saturday after being hit by debris from a drone shot down by an air defence system. Two members of the Border Security Force were killed in Kuwait yesterday. Drone attacks were carried out at Kuwait Airport and a water purification plant in Bahrain.