Moment defiant Iran hardliners rejoice as Khamenei’s son is named new Supreme Leader – and vow to INCREASE missile attacks on ‘infrastructure’

Defiant Iranian hardliners this morning celebrated the election of Ali Khamenei’s son as the new Supreme Leader, while vowing to step up missile attacks on infrastructure.

Mojtaba Khamenei, who was removed from the list of three senior clerics determined by his father last year, was declared the Ayatollah’s successor after his appointment by the regime’s 88-person parliament on Sunday.

According to Iranian media, the leader has strong ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was elected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts ‘under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards’.

And Khamenei, 56,’s potential influence on the escalating conflict in the Middle East was made clear in the moments after his successor was confirmed, with videos showing regime supporters chanting his name and calling for more attacks.

In Tehran, large crowds waved Iranian flags and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar, Khamenei Rahbar’. This meant ‘Allah is great, Khamenei is the leader’.

To make matters worse, the Iranian military had promised to respond to any Israeli attack on the country’s energy infrastructure by striking oil fields in the region, after Israel targeted the reserves the night before.

“The governments of Islamic countries are expected to warn the criminal America and the brutal Zionist regime against such cowardly, inhumane actions as soon as possible,” Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s central military command, told state television. he said.

‘Otherwise, similar measures will be taken in the region and if you can tolerate oil prices of more than $200 per barrel, continue this game.’

In Tehran, large crowds wave Iranian flags and chant ‘Allahu Akbar, Khamenei Rahbar’, meaning ‘Allah is great, Khamenei is the leader’.

Mojtaba Khamenei, pictured in 2019, was removed from a list of three senior clerics his father reportedly named last year, but was announced as the Ayatollah’s successor on Sunday.

Iran quickly demonstrated this renewed aggression by launching a new wave of infrastructure attacks across the Gulf, with all affected countries in the region.

Sirens blared throughout Israel throughout the night as Iran sent its final wave of missiles and drones just hours after the change of leadership.

This follows a series of Israeli attacks on Iranian oil refineries that reportedly caused a rift between the US and Israel, contributing to the oil price rising to $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022.

The United States reportedly remained in the dark about the extent of the attacks, and officials feared that the new wave of attacks could change public opinion against intervention against Iran.

Iran’s capital, Tehran, went up in flames on Sunday as Israel and the United States launched a new wave of devastating attacks in the early morning hours.

After several oil and fuel depots were blown up in the Iranian capital, the sky over the city turned a disturbing red and filled with acrid smoke.

As huge fireballs were seen exploding across the city’s skyline, residents complained of a burning smell lingering in the air as both the US and Israel doubled down on their commitments to fight until the ‘elimination’ of the Iranian regime.

The IDF claimed in X that the head of the Iranian Military Department, Abu al-Qasim Baba’iyan, was killed in the latest wave of attacks.

The military official was also Chief of Staff of Hatem al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. He is the last major figure of the regime to be killed in Israeli attacks.

An IDF statement on Sunday said: ‘Baba’iyan was responsible for coordinating between the various force employment organizations of the Iranian terrorist regime to conduct operations and contingency operations.’

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Defense said on Sunday night that two unmanned aerial vehicles were seized in Riyadh, as well as a missile heading towards Prince Sultan Air Base.

Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also reported that additional Iranian missiles were launched towards them.

Sirens blared across Israel throughout the night as Iran sent its final wave of missiles and drones just hours after the change of leadership

Iran’s capital, Tehran, went up in flames on Sunday as Israel and the United States launched a new wave of devastating attacks.

While huge fireballs were seen exploding in the city’s skyline, residents of the area complained about the burning smell in the air.

Bahrain accused Iran of indiscriminately attacking civilian targets and damaging one of its desalination plants, but its electricity and water authority said supplies remained online.

The war continued to spread to the Middle East, with a ship attacked off the coast of Oman on Sunday.

Oman has become a getaway destination for many Brits stranded on holiday in Dubai last week, with repatriation flights from the country opening at the weekend.

And Kuwait was said to have been attacked just minutes before Khamenei was elected Iran’s new leader.

On Sunday, staff at the US diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia were told to leave the country amid a wave of attacks in recent days as war spreads across the Middle East.

The US embassy in Riyadh was targeted by two drones, causing a small fire, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.

Following the attack, the embassy was closed and Americans were ordered to take shelter there.

Just eight days after Ali Khamenei was blown up at his desk in Israeli airstrikes, his son took over as Supreme Leader; This overturned the convention that had warned against father-son succession in Iran.

Mojtaba Khamenei is said to have expressed his opposition to his father’s candidacy because it would be similar to the hereditary rule that the US-backed Shah monarchy put in place before it was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

The transition from father to son is also viewed negatively in Shiite Muslim religious institutions in Iran.

But most of Iran’s top brass were wiped out in the latest conflict, and Khamenei has close ties to the powerful Revolutionary Guard and Basij volunteer paramilitary force.

Under Iran’s Islamic tutelage system, the Supreme Leader must be a senior leader with significant political authority.

Although Khamenei did not hold high-level political positions, he was educated alongside religious conservatives at Islamic theological schools in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

Khamenei was previously branded ‘unacceptable’ by US President Donald Trump, who this week made clear his feelings about the Ayatollah’s son.

“At some point they will call me and ask me who I want to replace Khamenei,” Trump said, somewhat sarcastically.

Staff at the US diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia were told on Sunday to leave the country amid a wave of attacks in recent days.

The president said he would personally choose the new leader and that Khamenei’s son was “unlikely” and “unacceptable.”

Just a few hours ago, he doubled down on his threats against Iran’s next supreme leader (whoever that may be), saying they wouldn’t last long without his support.

While Israel had already said that it would eliminate the person who would take over the task, Trump demanded the final say.

Speaking today, the US President told ABC News: ‘He will need approval from us.

‘If he doesn’t get approval from us, he can’t stay in office for a long time. ‘We want to make sure we don’t have to go back every 10 years when you don’t have a president like me who can’t do that.’

Khamenei is not a senior cleric, has never held office, and has no official role in the regime.

However, he served in the Iranian armed forces during the Iran-Iraq war and is believed to have considerable influence behind the scenes. He has been touted for years as a possible successor to his father.

He was born in the holy city of Mashhad in 1969 and grew up while his father helped lead the opposition against the Shah.

His wife, Zahra Adel, and her mother, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, are among those killed in Saturday’s strikes.

According to Iranian media, Khamenei received secondary education at the religious Alawite School and then served in the army for several short periods during the Iran-Iraq War.

Later, in 1999, unlike his father, he continued his religious studies in the holy city of Qom without attracting attention.

In fact, the new Supreme Leader was photographed very few times and never gave a formal interview.

Although he has rarely been photographed and has no official government position on his resume, Khamenei has long been seen as influential to his father, the Ayatollah.

According to the Associated Press, US diplomatic cables had previously described him as ‘the power behind the mantle’ and a key player within the regime.

Although Khamenei did not hold high-level political positions, he was educated alongside religious conservatives at Islamic theological schools in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

Despite being confirmed by the US in 2019, Khamenei is said to run an investment empire worth more than £100 million, with access to luxury properties in North London and bank accounts in the UK, Switzerland, UAE and Liechtenstein.

Khamenei is said to own 11 properties on Bishops Avenue, an exclusive street in Hampstead, north London, also known as ‘Billionaires’ Row’.