Thousands of Iranian citizens took to the streets in major cities including Tehran, Mashhad, Qom and Isfahan in support of newly elected supreme leader Mujtaba Khamenei.
According to state media, the public held pictures of the new Supreme Leader, chanted slogans in his favor and pledged loyalty. Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts has announced the appointment of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s second son, 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran after an emergency meeting on Sunday night.
The 88 members of the Assembly of Experts voted in favor of Mojtaba Khamenei by an “overwhelming majority.” According to a council spokesman, the decision was made to maintain national security and revolutionary continuity.
Revolutionary Guards statement: Iran’s most powerful military force, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), has declared complete obedience to the new leader, calling him “the true standard-bearer of the Velayat-e-Faqih.”
Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment comes at a time when Iran is facing its most severe crisis. Former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was martyred in alleged Israeli and American airstrikes on Tehran on February 28, 2026.
According to reports, Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife and mother were also killed in these attacks, which experts believe will further harden the new leader’s policies against the West. US President Donald Trump has rejected the election, calling it a “hereditary monarchy” and saying that the US will not recognize this leadership.
Mojtaba Khamenei has long been a behind-the-scenes figure in Iran’s most important strategic, intelligence, and military affairs. He has played a key role in his father’s office and has deep influence in the security apparatus, particularly the Basij Force and the Quds Force.
Iranian President Masoud Peshmerga and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have made it clear that Iran will not back down from its defense policy and that national unity will be further strengthened under the leadership of the new Supreme Leader. On the other hand, Israel has threatened to target the new leader as well.
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