US President Donald Trump is reportedly displeased with the\nappointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran\u2019s new Supreme Leader. Not only\nTrump, but senior US Republican senators have also condemned the\nappointment of the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Iran\u2019s\nhighest office.<\/p>\n
According to reports on Monday 9 March 2026, Trump\u2019s displeasure with\nMojtaba Khamenei was conveyed by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade. Kilmeade\nrevealed that Trump was unhappy with Iran\u2019s choice of Mojtaba Khamenei\nas the country\u2019s new Supreme Leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not like it,\u201d Kilmeade said, quoting Trump.<\/p>\n
Trump himself has not publicly commented on Mojtaba\u2019s selection.\nHowever, Trump previously described Khamenei\u2019s son as an insignificant\nfigure. Trump also emphasised that Iran\u2019s new Supreme Leader must obtain\napproval from the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he does not get approval from us, he will not last long,\u201d Trump\nsaid, according to Al Arabiya.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, senior US Senator Lindsey Graham has also condemned\nMojtaba Khamenei\u2019s appointment as Supreme Leader of Iran. He suggested\nthat Mojtaba would meet the same fate as his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it is only a matter of time before he experiences the same\nfate as his father,\u201d said Graham, the Senator from South Carolina, in a\nstatement via social media platform X.<\/p>\n
Graham is known to have long lobbied for US military action against\nIran. A report from US media outlet Wall Street Journal revealed that\nGraham had coached Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how to\nlobby US President Donald Trump to take action against Iran.<\/p>\n
Background on Mojtaba Khamenei<\/p>\n
Iran announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the country\u2019s new Supreme Leader\non Sunday 8 March, a week after Ali Khamenei\u2019s death. Mojtaba Khamenei\nis the second son of Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n
Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei was selected by Iran\u2019s\nAssembly of Experts as the country\u2019s new Supreme Leader. Mojtaba\nreplaces his father, who died in a joint American and Israeli attack on\n28 February.<\/p>\n
The Assembly of Experts comprises 88 senior clerics. One member of\nthe Assembly of Experts, Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, stated in a video that\na candidate was chosen based on the late Khamenei\u2019s directive that\nIran\u2019s Supreme Leader must be \u201chated by enemies\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven the Great Satan has mentioned his name,\u201d Alekasir said in a\nstatement made several days after US President Donald Trump described\nMojtaba as an unacceptable choice for him.<\/p>\n
Mojtaba is a senior figure close to Iran\u2019s security forces and the\nlarge business empire they control. He opposes reformists who seek to\nestablish ties with the West in efforts to constrain Iran\u2019s nuclear\nprogramme.<\/p>\n
Mojtaba maintains close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards\nCorps (IRGC). This gives him additional influence across Iran\u2019s entire\npolitical and security apparatus.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Leader of Iran holds the authority to make final\ndecisions on state matters, including foreign policy and Iran\u2019s nuclear\nprogramme. Western powers are intent on preventing Tehran from\ndeveloping nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iran has repeatedly stated that\nits nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trump-and-us-senators-react-following-mojtaba-khameneis-appointment-as-irans-supreme-leader-1773039205", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }