Iran delays selection of Supreme Leader citing security concerns

Moscow (ANTARA) - Iran has delayed the election of the successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for security reasons, according to sources cited by the New York Times. The report published on Thursday said the delay related to concerns about the safety of the ayatollah’s son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been killed, with increasing reports in Tehran through the media that Mojtaba would become his father’s successor. In addition, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said on Wednesday that the new Iranian leader would be an ‘unconditional target to be eliminated’ by the Israeli army. The United States and Israel have begun launching a series of strikes targeting Iranian territory since Saturday, including Tehran, causing damage and casualties. The strikes also led to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirmed by state media. Iran subsequently retaliated by targeting Israeli territory and several US military facilities in the Middle East. Source: Sputnik