Irans Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Appointed Amid Global Tensions

US President Donald Trump has expressed concerns over the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader. In a recent interview with Time magazine, Trump stated that he is “not happy” with the decision and had warned against electing the son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to lead the country.

The Assembly of Experts in Iran replaced the slain Khamenei with his 56-year-old son on Friday. Trump had previously stressed that Iran would follow the path of Venezuela in selecting a leader willing to answer Washington’s demands. He later stated that he thinks they made a big mistake and suggested that the new supreme leader may be targeted and killed like his father.

Trump declined to provide details about his plans for dealing with the new Iranian leader, saying only that he is “not happy” with him. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham echoed Trump’s sentiments, stating that Mojtaba Khamenei was not the change the US was looking for.

The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, killing Khamenei and several top officials. The country has since responded with hundreds of missile and drone launches against Israel and US military assets across the Middle East. The conflict has led to a historic spike in oil prices and war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In response to Trump’s comments, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Iran’s fate would be decided by Iranians themselves, not by external forces. Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council, suggested that Trump’s rejection of Mojtaba Khamenei may have inadvertently boosted the newly elected supreme leader’s candidacy.

The US president has continued to assert that he is seeking Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and that the war is progressing “very far ahead of schedule”. However, his comments have been met with ridicule in Tehran.

Source: Al Jazeera