Mojtaba Khamenei Emerges as Strong Candidate for Iran's New Supreme Leader

Moscow (ANTARA) - Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ali Khamenei, who died in the United States and Israel’s attack last weekend, is reported to be a strong candidate to become Iran’s new Supreme Leader. Religious figures and clerics responsible for selecting Iran’s new Supreme Leader held talks on Tuesday, and in the meeting it was learned that Mojtaba Khamenei emerged as a strong candidate to replace his father, according to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday, citing Iranian officials. The possibility of appointing Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader remains under consideration until Wednesday morning. However, concerns have arisen that if Mojtaba Khamenei is indeed named Iran’s Supreme Leader, he would become a target of US and Israel attacks, according to The New York Times. The United States and Israel on Saturday (28/2) launched a joint strike on Iran, including Tehran, causing infrastructure damage and casualties, including the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran then retaliated by launching drone and missile attacks on Israel and on US assets in several Gulf states.