US President Donald Trump has made clear he is deeply unhappy with Iran's choice of new supreme leader as Israel threatened to assassinate Mojtaba Khamenei before he has even taken full control of the country.
When asked how he felt about Iran's selection of Mojtaba, 56, as its new supreme leader, Trump told reporters simply: "I am not happy." He had already branded the son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "unacceptable" and "a lightweight" last week.
At an Oval Office news conference with the visiting German chancellor, Friedrich Merz last week, Trump voiced his fear that the new leader could prove to be "just as bad as the previous person," saying: "I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. We don't want that to happen. It would probably be the worst.
"You go through this and then in five years, you realise you put somebody in who was no better. So we'd like to see somebody in there that's going to bring it back for the people."
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning to Iran's newly chosen leader, threatening to kill him regardless of where he hides.
Katz wrote on X: "Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel's destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people - will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides.
"It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides. The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation 'Lion's Roar'.
"We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime's capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it."
Mojtaba Khamenei's selection was driven in large part by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which reportedly pressured the Assembly of Experts to back him, according to Iran International. Despite his close ties to the IRGC and his service in the Iranian armed forces during the war with Israel, he holds no senior clerical rank and has never occupied an official government role.
The IRGC confirmed the appointment, describing Mojtaba as "the most knowledgeable in political and social affairs" and declaring its "respect, allegiance, and obedience" to the new leader.
Trump struck a confident tone about the military campaign, saying: "We have them very much beaten militarily, from the military standpoint. They're still lobbing some missiles.
"They won't even be able to do that because we're hitting all of their carriers. We're hitting all of their missile stock… and we're knocking out a lot."
