Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Khamenei, has been elected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran, Israeli media reports.
He was chosen as Khamenei’s successor by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, reports added.
Khamenei, who ruled the country for 36 years, was k!lled in the joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 when he was in his ‘compound’. Along with him, his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were k!lled.
Khamenei’s wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, also died after succumbing to wounds sustained during the strikes.
Khamenei will be buried in the holy city of Mashhad, and a “large farewell ceremony” will be held in Tehran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a post on Telegram.
The joint US-Israel strikes, named ‘Operation Epic Fury’, were launched after stalled nuclear talks and claims that Tehran had resumed its nuclear activities. They targeted many Iranian cities, including the capital, Tehran. Over 700 people have been k!lled in the attack, reports said.
Hours after the joint attack, Iran launched missiles, many of which hit Gulf regions including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Bahrain.
Tensions in the Middle East continued to escalate as Iran vowed to avenge the k!lling of its Supreme Leader, and US President Donald Trump warned it was “too late” for Iran to seek talks to “escape a war”.