Iran Strikes Israel and Gulf Allies as Ali Khamenei’s Son Becomes Supreme Leader

Iran launched a series of missile strikes early Monday targeting Israel and Gulf nations, hours after naming Mojtaba Khamenei the country’s new supreme leader. The 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was chosen by Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts, making him the third leader of the Islamic Republic since 1979.

The announcement aired on state TV, with the presenter reading the statement solemnly next to a photo of Mojtaba. “He is appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the statement said. It added that the clerical body “did not hesitate for a minute” despite the “brutal aggression of the criminal America and the evil Zionist regime.”

Shortly after, state media showed a projectile flying toward Israel, emblazoned with the slogan, “At Your Command, Sayyid Mojtaba,” signalling Iran’s immediate retaliatory posture.

The situation is tense across the region. Saudi Arabia intercepted drones aimed at its eastern oil fields, the UAE and Kuwait reported missile attacks, and Bahrain activated its sirens as rockets approached populated areas.

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This all comes just weeks after Iranian security forces violently suppressed nationwide protests, killing thousands. Mojtaba Khamenei, considered a hardliner like his father, is expected to continue cracking down on dissent.

US President Donald Trump, speaking before the announcement, had dismissed Mojtaba as a “lightweight” and insisted the US should have a say in his appointment. Israel’s defence minister had warned that any new supreme leader would immediately become a “target.”

The war has already shaken global markets. The benchmark price for crude surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, while stocks in Asia tumbled. Trump brushed off the price spike, calling it a “small price to pay” for removing the perceived nuclear threat from Iran.

The United States is not expecting a quick resolution. The State Department ordered non-emergency staff out of Saudi Arabia after a drone strike hit the US embassy. Trump said any decision to end hostilities would be made in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In Iran, the new leader comes into office backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, pledging “complete obedience and self-sacrifice” in executing his commands. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reinforced this, declaring the leadership change would “guarantee national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while Iranian diplomats pledged their allegiance.

The war has spread to Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters engaged Israeli forces who landed via 15 helicopters from Syria. Fierce clashes erupted in Nabi Sheet, where Israel had previously killed 41 people. A strike on a hotel in Beirut killed five Revolutionary Guards commanders. Lebanon’s health ministry reports at least 394 dead since the war began, including 83 children and 42 women.

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Casualties continue to mount elsewhere. Bahrain reported 32 wounded in a drone attack on Sitra, including a two-month-old baby and a 17-year-old girl with severe injuries. Saudi Arabia said two people were killed and 12 were wounded in Al-Kharj province. Iran’s health ministry estimates at least 1,200 civilians killed and roughly 10,000 injured, numbers AFP could not independently verify. In Israel, authorities report 10 dead, while two Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon.

The region braces for further escalation as the new Iranian leader takes the helm amidst an expanding war that has already sent shockwaves across the Middle East and the global economy.