Iran launched a fresh wave of missile attacks early Monday, escalating tensions in the Middle East shortly after the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader.
The missile barrage targeted Israel and several Gulf countries, coming at a time when the region is already grappling with a widening conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
The attacks followed Tehran’s announcement that Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — had assumed leadership of the Islamic Republic. The clerical establishment selected him to succeed his father, who was killed in earlier strikes during the ongoing war.
According to reports, “Iran fired missiles at Israel and Gulf nations early Monday after the Islamic republic named Mojtaba Khamenei its new leader to succeed his late father despite threats by the United States and Israel to target him next.”
The leadership transition comes nine days after joint US-Israeli attacks killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an event that significantly intensified hostilities across the region.
Iran’s clerical body responsible for choosing the supreme leader — the Assembly of Experts — convened to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei, making him the country’s third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The latest missile launches underline Tehran’s continued retaliation as the war deepens, with air defence systems activated in Israel and reports of attacks and counter-attacks across several Middle Eastern locations.
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Analysts warn that the appointment of the younger Khamenei and the renewed missile strikes could further intensify the regional conflict and complicate diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.
