MM Report
TEHRAN: Iran is preparing to announce its new supreme leader following a week of intense United States and Israel air strikes that destroyed fuel depots and blanketed Tehran in thick smoke.
The clerical body responsible for selecting the successor to the late Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in the strikes that triggered the conflict, has already reached a decision but has not yet publicly revealed the name of the new leader.
Ahmad Alamolhoda, a member of the Assembly of Experts, said the vote had taken place and the leader had been chosen. According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, he added that the assembly’s secretariat would announce the name at a later time. Other members of the assembly also confirmed that a decision had been made, with some suggesting the late leader’s son could assume the position.
Meanwhile, Israel warned that it would not hesitate to target the new supreme leader and members of the assembly involved in confirming him. Overnight operations included strikes on fuel depots in and around Tehran and an attack on a hotel in central Beirut aimed at suspected Iranian commanders.
As the conflict entered its ninth day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it has enough supplies to continue missile and drone operations in the region for up to six months. Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said only early-generation missiles had been used so far and that more advanced long-range missiles could be deployed in the coming days.
The escalation has spread across the Middle East. Saudi Arabia intercepted drones targeting its capital Riyadh, Kuwait reported an attack on fuel tanks at its airport, and Bahrain said a water desalination plant had been damaged. Air strikes around Tehran hit five oil facilities, killing four people, according to the CEO of the national oil products distribution company, while Tehran’s governor said fuel distribution was temporarily halted during repair work.
A haze of smoke hung over Tehran as residents reported growing anxiety amid heavy security. Iran’s health ministry said at least 1,200 civilians have been killed and about 10,000 injured, while Lebanon’s health ministry reported 294 deaths in Israeli air strikes during the past week.
Nawaf Salam, Prime Minister of Lebanon, warned that the ongoing conflict could lead to a humanitarian disaster in the region.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, President of the United States, attended the return ceremony of six American service members killed in a drone strike on a US base in Kuwait. Trump said US forces could still be deployed in Iran and suggested that Iran’s economy could be rebuilt if a leader acceptable to Washington replaces the late supreme leader, a proposal rejected by Tehran.
China and Russia have largely stayed on the sidelines. Speaking in Beijing, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi condemned the conflict, saying that power does not justify aggression and warning that the world must not return to the “law of the jungle.”
Analysts say there is still no clear path to ending the conflict, which US and Israeli officials believe could continue for weeks or even longer.
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