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From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 8, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Iran names Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, as new supreme leader, state media reports
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Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a demonstration to mark al-Quds Day in Tehran, Iran, May 31, 2019. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Reuters)
Iran’s Assembly of Experts has named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, state media reports.
Mojtaba has been named in recent days as the frontrunner to succeed his father, who was killed on the first day of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, on February 28. But US President Donald Trump has called the younger Khamenei “unacceptable” and demanded to have input in choosing Iran’s next leader, a request Islamic Republic officials have rebuffed.
Earlier today, he said whoever was chosen to replace the late supreme leader would not “last long” without US approval.
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