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Persian checkmate: Khamenei's son will continue Iran's resistance against the United States
The appointment of Ali Khamenei's son as Iran's new leader is a serious challenge for his opponents. Mojtaba represents the conservative wing of the Iranian elite. The decision of the republic's leadership demonstrates Tehran's desire to maintain its previous political course and continue its tough confrontation with Israel and the United States. The conflict is actively spreading to neighboring countries. Fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah is intensifying on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon told Izvestia that due to a new round of escalation, hundreds of thousands of residents of the south of the country were forced to leave their homes, and roads were paralyzed by a mass exodus of the population. The situation remains extremely fragile and could quickly spiral out of control.
The appointment of a new Iranian leader and the US reaction
The Iranian Assembly of Experts has announced the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. State media published a statement on the morning of March 9th. He succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike in the early days of the war.
The appointment came amid a rapid escalation of the conflict between the United States and Israel on the one hand and Iran on the other. Choosing in favor of Mojtaba Khamenei means that the Iranian political system seeks to preserve the continuity of power and relies on representatives of the conservative camp.
Mojtaba Khamenei
US President Donald Trump sharply criticized the election of Mojtaba as the supreme leader of the republic. In an interview with Axios, he stated that the son of the deceased ayatollah is a "weak figure" and expressed the opinion that he should participate in the process of choosing a new leader of the Islamic Republic. According to him, Khamenei's candidacy is "unacceptable" to him, and Washington would like to see a leader in Iran who will bring "harmony and peace" to the country.
Meanwhile, according to Donald Trump, the war in Iran is "almost over." In an interview with the media, he noted that the republic no longer has "a fleet, no communications, no air force." The American leader added: the operation is significantly ahead of his initial forecast of four to five weeks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on his election. He noted that in the conditions of armed confrontation, the activities of the new leader will require courage and dedication, and expressed confidence that he will continue his father's political course and will be able to unite the Iranian society. The Russian leader also confirmed Moscow's support and stressed that Russia intends to remain a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic.
What to expect from Ali Khamenei's son
Mojtaba Khamenei is 56 years old. He is a Shiite cleric and has remained an influential but non-public figure in Iran's political and religious system for many years. Despite the lack of official government positions, he was part of his father's inner circle and maintained close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In the expert community, he has long been considered as one of the most likely successors to the supreme leader.
The election of Mojtaba Khamenei demonstrates the Islamic Republic's desire to maintain its course of resisting external pressure, according to international relations expert Hadi Issa Dalul.
— This step refutes suggestions that after the death of the former leader, Tehran may compromise and choose a figure more acceptable to the West. On the contrary, the decision of the Assembly of experts shows that the Iranian leadership intends to continue its previous strategic line," the expert told Izvestia.
Mojtaba Khamenei may have played a role in suppressing protests in Iran after the 2009 presidential election. In 2019, the United States imposed sanctions against him, accusing him of strengthening the influence of law enforcement agencies.
The current conflict has been a heavy blow for the Khamenei family. The February 28 airstrike killed several members of Mojtaba's family, including his wife and one of his sons, in addition to the Supreme Leader.
The appointment of a new leader is taking place in an extremely tense environment. Israel had previously warned that it could attack any successor of the deceased Ayatollah. IDF spokesman Avihai Adrai said that the target could be not only a potential leader of the country, but also clerics involved in the process of choosing a new supreme leader. During the war, Israeli forces have already attacked targets associated with the Assembly of Experts.
At the same time, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Oded Yosef said on March 5 that the fate of the Iranian people should be determined by the Iranian people themselves, and not by external forces. According to him, Israeli military operations are primarily aimed at eliminating the threat from the Iranian regime, and not at organizing a change of power in the country.
Tehran is ready to de-escalate in the Middle East if neighboring countries stop using it to attack Iran, its president Masoud Peseshkian has said. According to him, the pressure only strengthens Tehran's resolve. He noted that the republic cannot leave attacks unanswered and will respond to them proportionately.
In Iran, the number of civilian casualties due to strikes by the United States and Israel has exceeded 1.3 thousand people, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. In Israel, 13 people were killed and about 360 injured, according to media reports.
Escalation in Lebanon — what is happening on the border
At the same time, the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border is escalating. Fighting between the IDF and the Shiite Hezbollah movement has increased dramatically. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, about 400 people have died since the start of the new escalation.
The UN mission in Lebanon reported that three staff members were injured in an incident at a peacekeeping base in the south-west of the country. Earlier it became known that two soldiers from the Ghanaian peacekeeping contingent were also seriously injured as a result of the missile attack.
Tilak Pokharel, a representative of the UN mission, told Izvestia that hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon have been forced to leave their homes since the beginning of the new phase of the conflict. People are heading to safer areas of the country, often with their children and elderly relatives.
The aftermath of the strike on Beirut, Lebanon
According to him, many residents remain in dangerous areas for various reasons, including lack of transportation or means to move. Peacekeepers receive numerous requests for assistance in evacuating the population and, whenever possible, help people get to safe places.
— The situation remains extremely fragile and may quickly spiral out of control. Roads in the south of the country were paralyzed due to the massive displacement of the population. People stand in traffic jams for hours trying to leave the war zones," said a representative of the peacekeepers.
The UN mission also reported new crossings of the so-called "blue Line", which serves as a demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon. Peacekeepers have recorded three new incursions by Israeli forces in southeastern Lebanon.
On March 7, the Israeli army conducted a rare air operation in Lebanon. Israeli Air Force special forces landed in the eastern part of the country to try to locate the remains of navigator Ron Arad, who went missing after ejecting over Lebanon in 1986. However, the operation did not bring results. According to media reports, an Israeli helicopter was shot down during it, but the IDF did not confirm this information.
Iran's crisis with Arab Monarchies
The consequences of the escalation are already being felt in several countries. In Saudi Arabia, two people were killed and 12 others were injured as a result of a shell hitting a residential building. The Azerbaijani authorities demanded an explanation after the drone attack on the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, but Tehran said it had nothing to do with the incident.
Masoud Pezeshkian tried to ease the tension in relations with the Gulf states. The day before, he apologized to the countries of the region for the Iranian strikes. The president also urged them not to join the military operations of the United States and Israel against Iran.
However, representatives of the conservative wing of the Iranian leadership quickly came up with a different narrative. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that attacks would continue if the territory of neighboring countries was used to attack Iran. Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Republic, expressed a similar position. He stressed that Tehran will respond to attacks emanating from military bases in the region.
The escalation of the conflict has already led to casualties among the US military. The Pentagon announced the death of a US serviceman who was seriously injured during an Iranian strike earlier this month. Thus, the death toll of American soldiers during the war reached seven.
The Gulf Cooperation Council said Iran's attacks constitute dangerous acts of aggression and threaten regional security.
The Turkish Defense Ministry also reported the interception of a ballistic missile that was fired from Iran and was moving towards its airspace. At the same time, the Iranian armed forces denied launching a missile in the direction of Turkey.
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who previously acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, called the actions of Israel and the United States against Iran illegal. At the same time, he stressed that retaliatory strikes by the republic against neighboring Arab countries also cannot be considered acceptable.
Ukraine is getting involved in the Middle East conflict
Against the background of the growing confrontation, the United States called on Russia not to transfer intelligence information about the movements of American troops to Iran. According to the media of the United States, Moscow could share with Tehran satellite images obtained from the orbital grouping. There is no official confirmation of these reports.
In turn, the special envoy of the US president, Steve Witkoff, said that he had asked the Russian side not to share intelligence data with Tehran. US President Donald Trump said that Washington does not have accurate evidence of such a transfer of information.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, commenting on relations with Moscow, said that cooperation between the two countries continues in various areas. He recalled that Iran and Russia have signed a strategic partnership agreement. And he noted that military cooperation between the states had existed before and would continue.
At the same time, other players are trying to take advantage of the conflict. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had offered Saudi Arabia assistance in intercepting Iranian drones. In addition, according to him, Ukrainian drone specialists were sent to protect American bases in Jordan. Kiev has already sent interceptor drones and a group of experts on unmanned systems.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
