Iran Launches Missile Strikes on Israel After Mojtaba Khamenei Named New Supreme Leader

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iran launched missile strikes toward Israel early Monday, invoking the name of the country’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected to succeed his slain father despite threats from the United States and Israel to target him.

The attacks came nine days after joint US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalating tensions and plunging the Middle East into a wider conflict. 

Shortly before the missile launches, Iran’s clerical leadership formally announced the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader. The decision was made by the 88-member Assembly of Experts, which convened to select Iran’s third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

An announcer on state television read the Assembly’s statement beside a portrait of the 56-year-old cleric, who bears a strong resemblance to his father.

“Mojtaba Khamenei is appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the decisive vote of the respected representatives of the Assembly of Experts,” the statement said.

The clerical body added that it “did not hesitate for a minute” in choosing a new leader despite what it described as “the brutal aggression of criminal America and the evil Zionist regime.”

Iranian state media later broadcast footage of a projectile reportedly launched toward Israel bearing the slogan “At Your Command, Sayyid Mojtaba,” using an Islamic honorific.

Meanwhile, explosions were reported early Monday in Qatar, which hosts one of the largest US military bases in the region.

The latest developments come amid heightened tensions following weeks of unrest inside Iran, where security forces previously suppressed nationwide protests against the government. Thousands were reported killed during the crackdown.

Mojtaba Khamenei is widely seen as a hardline figure expected to continue the policies of his father, including maintaining a firm stance against internal dissent and external pressure.