Iran has named a new supreme leader amid the ongoing regional war, while attacks linked to the conflict have spread to neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Iranian state media reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ali Khamenei, has been selected as the country’s new supreme leader following his father’s death during the early days of the war.
The decision was made by the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for appointing Iran’s top leader. Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), becomes the third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
His appointment marks the first time power in Iran’s theocratic system has effectively passed from father to son, a development that analysts say underscores the growing influence of hard-line factions and the IRGC during the current conflict.
Meanwhile, the war has continued to expand across the region. Authorities in Saudi Arabia reported that two people were killed in a strike linked to the ongoing conflict, marking some of the first reported fatalities there since hostilities escalated.
The broader conflict—pitting Iran against a coalition led by Israel and the United States —has already spread across multiple Middle Eastern states. Recent days have seen missile and drone attacks targeting infrastructure and military positions across the region, raising concerns about further escalation and disruptions to global energy supplies.
Regional governments and international organizations have urged restraint as the conflict increasingly affects civilian infrastructure and neighboring countries.
