Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader following the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei, according to state media reports cited by Al Jazeera.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts announced the decision on Sunday, saying Mojtaba Khamenei was selected after what it described as a “decisive vote.”

In a statement circulated by state media, the clerical body called on Iranians to maintain unity and support the new leader.

It urged citizens, “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities,” to pledge allegiance to the leadership and preserve national unity.

The appointment comes days after the death of Ali Khamenei, who had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989.

He was reportedly killed on February 28 during a joint United States and Israeli air operation targeting leadership sites in Tehran amid escalating conflict in the region.

His death triggered intense speculation over who would succeed him, with Mojtaba Khamenei widely considered one of the frontrunners despite concerns within Iran’s political and religious establishment about the possibility of hereditary leadership.

Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric believed to have strong ties to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has long wielded significant influence behind the scenes in the Islamic Republic’s political system.

Before the announcement, Donald Trump had publicly opposed the prospect of Mojtaba becoming Iran’s leader, reportedly describing him as a “lightweight” and suggesting he should not be allowed to play a role in determining the country’s leadership.

Iran’s constitution assigns the Assembly of Experts the responsibility of selecting the country’s supreme leader, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, with ultimate control over state policy, the military and the judiciary.

Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection marks one of the most consequential political transitions in Iran in decades and comes amid ongoing regional tensions following the killing of his father.

But Tehran’s top diplomat said Sunday that the decision was Iran’s alone, adding it would “allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs”.

Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi went on to demand Trump “apologise to people of the region” for starting the war.

The younger Khamenei is regarded as a conservative figure, notably because of his ties with the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic’s military.

Israel’s military had previously warned any successor that “we will not hesitate to target you”.

Air ‘Unbreathable’

Overnight, Israel struck five oil facilities in and around Tehran, killing at least four people and sparking blazes that left the skies filled with acrid smoke.

Tehran’s governor told the IRNA news agency that fuel distribution had been “temporarily interrupted” in the capital.

A dark haze hung over the city of 10 million people, blocking out the sun, and the smell of burning fuel lingered in the air.

Authorities warned the fumes could be toxic and urged citizens to stay indoors, but many windows were blown out by the force of the blasts.

“The blaze has been burning for more than 12 hours; the air has become unbreathable. I can’t even go out to do the daily shopping,” said one 35-year-old from Tehran.

“At first, I supported this war. After Khamenei’s death, I celebrated with my friends: we drank wine and we danced.

“But since yesterday… people say there’s not even any gasoline left at the gas stations,” she said, in a text message to contacts in Europe.

As the war extended into its ninth day, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had enough supplies to continue their drone and missile war over the Middle East for up to six months.

Several blasts were heard over Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv after the Israeli military said it had detected a salvo of missiles from Iran. The Magen David Adom emergency services said six people were wounded in central Israel.

Advanced Missiles

Trump again refused to rule out sending American ground troops into Iran but continued to insist that the war was all but won despite the ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes.

Guard’s spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naini, said Iran had so far used only first- and second-generation missiles but would use “advanced and less-used long-range missiles” in the coming days.

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that two people were killed and 12 wounded by a “military projectile” in Al Kharj province, having earlier said it intercepted a wave of drones headed for targets including the diplomatic quarter of its capital, Riyadh.

Kuwait, meanwhile, said an attack hit fuel tanks at its international airport, and Bahrain reported a water desalination plant had been damaged.

Iran’s health ministry said Sunday that at least 1,200 civilians had been killed and around 10,000 wounded — figures AFP could not independently verify.

Lebanon’s health minister said at least 394 people had been killed in Israeli air strikes since Lebanon was dragged into the war a week ago, including 83 children and 42 women.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed during the fighting in southern Lebanon, the military said.

Trump, meanwhile, attended the return of the bodies of six American service members killed in a drone strike on a US base in Kuwait last Sunday.

No Clear Way Out

Analysts warn there is still no clear path to ending a conflict that US and Israeli officials say could last a month or longer.

Trump has suggested Iran’s economy could be rebuilt if a leader “acceptable” to Washington replaces the late Supreme Leader.

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV prayed “that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open.”

•  Warplanes hit five oil facilities in overnight strikes in and around the Iranian capital, killing four people.

•  A dark haze hung over the city as Sunday morning broke and a smell of burning lingered in the air.

Huge fireballs and thick plumes of smoke rose over Tehran after joint United States-Israeli air strikes hit fuel depots in the Iranian capital.

Iran’s oil distribution company said four of its employees were killed in the blitz, as a dark haze hung over the city on Sunday and the smell of burning oil lingered in the air.

Saturday’s strikes triggered large fires after hitting four oil storage facilities and an oil transfer and production centre in Tehran and neighbouring Alborz province, the Fars news agency reported. Iranian state media described the incident as an “attack from the US and the Zionist regime”.

The facilities targeted were the Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, the Tehran refinery in the south, the Shahran oil depot in the west, and an oil depot in the city of Karaj. Witnesses said oil from the Shahran depot had leaked into nearby streets.

Israel said it had struck “a number of fuel storage facilities in Tehran” that were used “to operate military infrastructure”.

Shortly after the attacks, which appeared to mark a new phase in the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government would press on with the assault and strike Iran’s rulers “without mercy”.

“We have an organised plan with many surprises to destabilise the regime and enable change,” he said in a video statement. “We have many more targets.”

Joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran have continued for a ninth day, killing more than 1,300 people in Iran and about 300 in Lebanon, according to officials. About a dozen people have been killed in Israel.

 

The United States Navy’s newest, largest and most capable nuclear-powered supercarrier entered the Red Sea on Friday after transiting the Suez Canal for the first time.

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is now officially operating in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, even as it has been supporting the ongoing Operation Epic Fury from the eastern Mediterranean, where it arrived last month.

This marks the first deployment to the Middle East for CVN-78, and the furthest the aircraft carrier has traveled from the United States since it entered service with the U.S. Navy in July 2017.

During the warship’s previous extended deployment in 2023, USS Gerald R. Ford operated in the Mediterranean, with several of the escort ships in Carrier Strike Group 12 dispatched to the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping.

Then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed CSG-12 to the region following the October 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel to deter escalation, and to counter missiles and drones fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group operating in Yemen.

Since the start of the current conflict with Iran, which began on February 28, the Houthis have expressed support for Tehran, yet have not resumed their attacks on shipping in the region.

Long deployment further extended

As of Saturday, USS Gerald R. Ford has been at sea for 255 days, exceeding the previous deployment that finally ended on January 17, 2024, after CVN-78 spent a total of 239 days away from her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia.

The current mission could stretch to 11 months, with the supercarrier unlikely to return home until May, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jim Kilby told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“That extension will ultimately be about an 11-month deployment,” Kilby told the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on readiness and management support, according to USNI News. “So there’ll be an impact on her return and the schedule for her maintenance availability so she’s ready to go again,” he added. “The good part about our public shipyards is they’re adjusting that schedule. They’re ready to bring our carrier back and maintain her.”

CVN-78 departed from Norfolk on June 24, 2025.

Even if the deployment is cut short, by mid-April, USS Gerald R. Ford will still have broken the post-Vietnam War record set by USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 2019-2020 of 294 days at sea. By early May, CVN-78 could see a deployment as long as those during the Vietnam War, when U.S. Navy carriers spent 300 days or longer operating in the Gulf of Tonkin.

The conventionally-powered USS Midway (CVA-41) holds the record for 332 days at sea during its 1972-73 deployment. The extended, nearly year-long deployment supported operations during the conflict in Southeast Asia, including the intensified air campaigns against North Vietnam in 1972.

Keeping The Crew Fed

Even as nuclear-powered warships have unlimited range and endurance, the crew still needs to eat, and the aircraft need fuel. However, the U.S. Navy has that covered.

“The carrier and its crew can be resupplied by air and logistics ships so that it can remain at sea for a very long time.
This is combat, and the crew is ready to execute the mission,” explained Brent Sadler, senior research fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology in the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation.

He added that CVN-78’s extended deployment was largely unavoidable.

“We have too few of these ships for a major war,” said Sadler.

Wear And Tear On The Ship, And On The Crew

The downside of such a lengthy deployment is that it is certain to take a toll on the supercarrier, which will require an extended post-deployment maintenance period. Even as Kirby said the shipyards will adjust as needed, the extended time at sea may impact planned upgrades for the carrier.

“Another area for consideration is the limited capabilities to conduct maintenance on the aircraft stationed on the Ford, as well as the vessel itself,” said Lewis Galvin, lead Americas analyst at private intelligence firm Sibylline.

Any mishaps will further complicate matters.

“Repairs are possible while on deployment, but extensive damage will likely have to be addressed post-deployment,” Galvin noted.

However, it isn’t just the wear and tear on the ship that is a concern. The record-setting deployment may impact the personnel onboard.

“Crew morale and fatigue are the primary concerns at the moment,” Galvin said in an email, noting that the USS Gerald R. Ford was initially scheduled to end its deployment in early March.

“Several problems on aircraft carriers have been reported in recent years,” warned Galvin. “In 2022, the crash of an F-35C on the USS Carl Vinson was attributed to pilot workload and decision-making under pressure. In 2016, an E-2C Hawkeye was damaged on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, with a subsequent investigation citing procedural mistakes. This risk is elevated if deployments are protracted.” (Forbes)