Iran Picks Khamenei's Son As Next Supreme Leader
Update (1745ET): As was rumored and widely expected, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba, will become Iran’s next supreme leader, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency announced, taking over after his father was killed in an attack by the US and Israel.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the third person to lead the Islamic Republic and the first example of hereditary succession since the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy in the 1979 revolution. In other words, it appears that Iran overthrew a monarchy 47 years ago to institute a… monarchy.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected the country’s next supreme leader in a “decisive vote,” according to Fars. The vote took place hours before the result was made public.
The younger Khamenei was born in the holy city of Mashhad in Iran’s northeast in 1969 as the family’s second-oldest son. He fought briefly in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war that consolidated his father’s rise to power and became a cleric, studying at Iran’s main religious seminary city of Qom, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
The clip below shows Mojtaba Khamenei announced as Iran’s new Supreme Leader in Tehran’s Vanak Square.
WATCH: Mojtaba Khamenei is announced as Iran’s new Supreme Leader in Tehran’s Vanak Square. https://t.co/eFEeeQNUfw pic.twitter.com/QuCfaT7Dwk
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 8, 2026
He keeps a relatively low public profile, but is seen as close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military force that leads Iran’s missile program and regional alliances with militias, and which has swelled to control as much as 40% of Iran’s economy.
Immediately after the official announcement, the IRGC said it backed and pledged obedience to the new Supreme Leader.
During alleged interference in the country’s 2009 elections that sparked widespread street protests, the opposition accused Mojtaba of being involved.
Bloomberg reported in January that he oversees a sprawling investment empire stretching from Tehran to Dubai and Frankfurt. He didn’t respond to requests for comment at the time.
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Update(1555ET): The United States and Israel are boasting of having effectively achieved total air superiority over Iran's skies, but this presents yet more questions as to what the end-game will be. The allies have as one key goal securing Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium – most of which may be buried deep under a destroyed nuclear site at Isfahan (taken out during the June war) – but then the conundrum remains… how?
Axios reports on one plan which many see as but a gateway to introduction of US ground troops – a prospect President Trump has repeatedly said won't happen and which would be deeply unpopular among the American public. "The U.S. and Israel have discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the war, according to four sources with knowledge of the discussions," the report says.
Another big Sunday development: TEHRAN INDICATES KHAMENEI’S SON WILL BE NAMED SUPREME LEADER – SCMP
Hossein Ali Ashkvari, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, says that the next Supreme Leader of Iran has already been chosen by the Assembly of Experts and hints at his identity by saying that “the name of Khamenei will continue.” pic.twitter.com/8TGzf4ord5
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 8, 2026
The report goes on to say the estimated 450 kilograms of 60%-enriched uranium possess by Iran, which could be used to produce a nuclear weapon, "would likely require U.S. or Israeli troops on Iranian soil" to recover it, which would entail "navigating heavily fortified underground facilities in the middle of a war."
One nuclear expert this weekend told CNN it would likely even require construction and excavation equipment, the presence of a special Army unit for handling nuclear material, and ideally even IAEA overseers and inspectors for safety.
And the idea for the plan is not just speculative external reporting – instead, top admin officials have openly alluded to the need for some kind of plan to go in and get the enriched uranium:
At a congressional briefing Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked whether Iran's enriched uranium would be secured. "People are going to have to go and get it," he said, without specifying who.
Further, Axios cited that "An Israeli defense official said Trump and his team are seriously considering sending special operations units into Iran for specific missions."
Seventh US servicemember confirmed killed:
CENTCOM Update
TAMPA, Fla. – Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East. The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 8, 2026
"A U.S. official said the administration has discussed two options: removing the material from Iran entirely, or bringing in nuclear experts to dilute it on-site," it added. Questions abound on logistics or the details of what all would be involved here:
The U.S. official laid out the operational challenge of securing Iran's uranium: "The first question is, where is it? The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?"
"And then, it would be a decision of the president and the Department of War, CIA, as to whether we wanted to physically transport it or dilute it on premises."
The first reaction from most outside observers might be: how does such an infiltration deep into Iran happen without regime change or regime collapse first?
As for if Washington is hoping to aerially bombard the country into regime change… well the fact is that in 100 years of modern aerial warfare, we are hard pressed to find a single example of then this happened successfully.
Iran FM continues to lash out while heavy US-Israeli bombing ensues:
In Iran, an official could never travel to another country to collude with a foreign spy service on how to "coach" our own President into doing bidding of foreigners.
We would ask what the foreign country may have on that official. And promptly charge him/her with High Treason. pic.twitter.com/5PaAEoAia4
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 8, 2026
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Iran officially announced Sunday that it has chosen its next supreme leader, though the identity of the successor remains under wraps for now, given that already the Assembly of Experts had last week paused the selection process amid the ongoing heavy US-Israeli bombing campaign. The other big concern is that the next Ayatollah of the Islamic Republic will have big target on his back while under the bombs.
According to Iran's ISNA news agency, the Assembly of Experts reached their decision following emergency deliberations triggered by the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening hours of the war which kicked off early on February 28. "The most suitable candidate, approved by the majority of the Assembly of Experts, has been determined," Mohsen Heydari, a member of the body, declared Sunday.
Fars News further cited another member, Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, who confirmed that "a firm opinion reflecting the majority view has been reached" – but again, the name has not yet been publicly disclosed.
Israeli officials have made clear they will strike any figure chosen to replace Khamenei, raising the prospect that Iran's new supreme leader could face assassination almost immediately after going public and assuming power. But presumably there are command bunkers hidden deep underground, and all across the country.
Saturday and overnight saw the war expanding into a new phase, with US and Israeli forces now hitting Iranian oil depots and refining facilities in Tehran for the first time – also what's said to be fuel storage for the country's armed forces, which has sent thick clouds of black smoke all over the densely-packed city of Tehran, which is comparable in size and population to New York City.
Oil-soaked rain even came down, and massive oil depot fires have burned through the night into Sunday…
JUST IN 🇮🇷🇺🇸: The fires in Tehran keep burning into the morning after last night's airstrikes on the oil depots.
Teh air quaility is usually bad in tehran but this is making it much worse. Pray for the people that have to breathe this air. https://t.co/bjWup2DYN6 pic.twitter.com/4OsHeM2TT5
— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) March 8, 2026
Currently there are reports that the US is contemplating seizing control of Iran's largest oil export terminal on Kharg Island. Per regional reports:
A senior US official vowed to take control of Iran's oil on Friday as the devastating regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran neared its second week.
"What we want to do is to get such massive oil reserves in Iran out of the hands of terrorists," White House advisor Jarrod Agen said in an interview with Fox Business.
Iranian officials are also warning of environmental fallout from the expanding attacks on energy infrastructure. Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran, claimed in an interview with Al Jazeera that the strikes were timed deliberately ahead of rainfall.
The future of the vital Kharg Island looms large as China is still getting (some of) its oil.
PHOTO OF THE DAY: China is still getting (some of) its oil.
Nine days into the war, Iran continues loading oil supertankers from Kharg Island.
Tehran has sent some of them across the Strait of Hormuz into the high seas wihthout any problem.
Photo @CopernicusEU March 7th 2026 pic.twitter.com/uzSkzntOOB
— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) March 8, 2026
"And I think they have done it purposely. They wanted to hit these oil facilities so they could create this huge smoke, and with all this contaminated rain, it looks like black ink," he said.
He warned that runoff from damaged facilities could contaminate drinking water supplies in and around Tehran. "So people are going to get sick if these types of attacks continue, and we don’t have any signs that Trump and Netanyahu are stopping their war against Iran," Izadi said. "So I think we are facing a serious environmental disaster."
March 8, 2026 – Tehran at sunrise today. But the sun is hidden behind a sky filled with smoke. After a night of intensive strikes on oil facilities, thick black clouds now hang over the city, turning morning into something that feels like night. pic.twitter.com/7MghBnWRRw
— RKOT (@RKOTOfficial) March 8, 2026
Iran's retaliation across the region continues, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) having taken a far harder line as the conflict slides, warning regional governments that Tehran will continue striking if US or Israeli forces operate from bases on their soil – strikes which appear to have continued – though the extent of damage on US bases appears to currently be censored by the Pentagon and some compliant entities like foremost commercial satellite imaging company Planet Labs.
Gulf states including Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reported new missile and drone activity, despite Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian having earlier 'apologized' for strikes hitting neighboring countries and pledging to halt attacks if their territory is not used for operations against Iran. But there's evidence that the IRGC and military apparatus is overriding any potential 'olive branch' offered to the Gulf or US. Israel too appears to still be getting hit by Iranian missiles and drones, and also Hezbollah rockets on the north.
An interesting live coverage moment on NBC News…
Notable contrast between some drooling American "expert" talking about installing a “pragmatic” leader in Tehran and Tehran delivering a missile to its target in Tel Aviv.
Our elites manifestly do not understand this country we're at war with.pic.twitter.com/1SqJ1I1JoL
— Andrew Day (@AKDay89) March 8, 2026
For example, as we reported previously an Iranian drone strike caused material damage to a desalination plant in Bahrain, according to the country’s interior ministry. The incident follows Iranian accusations that US forces bombed a freshwater desalination facility on Qeshm Island days earlier, which Tehran described as setting a "precedent".
On the question of finding a diplomatic solution, the sides don't appear to be talking, and in fresh comments Trump brushed off threats from Iran's top security leadership, saying, "I couldn’t care less" while signaling that the pace and scale of attacks are only set to continue. This as Pentagon billion-dollar radar systems appear to be getting degraded quick:
Spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces: we targeted and destroyed 4 radars of the U.S. THAAD system in the past hours.
Currently, even some among Iran's 'professional opposition' in exile in places like London and the United States have expressed horror and concern at the images of whole portions of Tehran on fire, with black oil-infused smoke and rain inundating the capital and sprawling civilian neighborhoods.