Thousands of people gathered in central Tehran on Monday to show support for the new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtab Khamenei, who was appointed to the post on Sunday by the Assembly of Experts. Referring to the Iranian media and its correspondent, the AFP agency informed about it, writes TASR.
- Thousands of people supported Iran’s new spiritual leader in Tehran.
- Russia has assured Iran of unwavering support for its ally.
- America and Israel consider Mojtab Khamenei unacceptable.
- Israel has threatened to eliminate any new Iranian leader.
- The appointment may provoke opposition from parts of Iranian society.
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, wrote in a post on the X Network on Monday that the appointment of a new supreme spiritual leader had caused “desperation” in the United States and Israel.
Russia, as one of Iran’s main allies, assured Khamenei on Monday of its “unwavering support”. In his welcoming message, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed “unwavering support for Tehran and our solidarity with our Iranian friends” and assured that “Russia has been and will remain a reliable partner” of Iran.
Several allies are celebrating
In addition to Moscow, the election of Iran’s supreme leader was also welcomed by Iran’s allies in the Middle East region: the Yemeni Houthi rebels, pro-Iranian paramilitary formations in Iraq, and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.
In contrast to them, US President Donald Trump declared even before the decision of the Assembly of Experts that Mojtaba Khamenei was an unacceptable choice. Israel, on the other hand, has threatened to kill anyone who is appointed as the supreme leader in Iran.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Kac declared in this regard that “the clear target for elimination will be any leader appointed by the Iranian terrorist regime to continue carrying out the plan to destroy Israel, threaten the US, the free world and the countries of the region, and oppress the Iranian people.” The army repeated this threat in its statement on Sunday. Before the meeting of the Assembly of Experts, she said that “the State of Israel will continue to persecute any successor and any person who seeks to appoint a successor” to Ali Khamenei.
It may encounter resistance
According to The Times of Israel (TOI) analysts, Mojtab Khamenei’s election signals that hardliners in the Iranian regime are holding on to power despite the US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began on February 28. His appointment could also be met with resistance from that part of Iranians who have shown in the past that they are ready to organize mass protests to enforce their demands in the area of rights and freedoms.
Mojtaba Khamenei is the second-born son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who lost his life on February 28 in an Israeli-American attack on Tehran. His election returns Iran to dynastic succession more than 40 years after the revolution, at a time when the Islamic republic is fighting for its survival.
