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Iran Names Khamenei’s Son As New Supreme Leader
Iran’s ruling clerics on Sunday appointed the slain leader’s son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, defying threats from the United States and Israel to oppose him.
Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed the elder Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war, the clerical government’s Assembly of Experts convened to choose their next leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, “is appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the decisive vote of the respected representatives of the Assembly of Experts”, the clerical body said in a statement.
It said that the clerical body “did not hesitate for a minute” in choosing a new leader, despite “the brutal aggression of the criminal America and the evil Zionist regime”.
US President Donald Trump has previously dismissed the younger Khamenei as a “lightweight” and insisted again on Sunday that he should have a say in the new leader’s appointment.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” he told ABC News before the announcement was made.
But Tehran’s top diplomat said Sunday that the decision was Iran’s alone, adding it would “allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs”.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi went on to demand Trump “apologise to people of the region” for starting the war.
The younger Khamenei is regarded as a conservative figure, notably because of his ties with the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic’s military.
Israel’s military had previously warned any successor that “we will not hesitate to target you”.
Air ‘Unbreathable’
Overnight, Israel struck five oil facilities in and around Tehran, killing at least four people and sparking blazes that left the skies filled with acrid smoke.
Tehran’s governor told the IRNA news agency that fuel distribution had been “temporarily interrupted” in the capital.
A dark haze hung over the city of 10 million people, blocking out the sun, and the smell of burning fuel lingered in the air.
Authorities warned the fumes could be toxic and urged citizens to stay indoors, but many windows were blown out by the force of the blasts.
“The blaze has been burning for more than 12 hours; the air has become unbreathable. I can’t even go out to do the daily shopping,” said one 35-year-old from Tehran.
“At first, I supported this war. After Khamenei’s death, I celebrated with my friends: we drank wine and we danced.
“But since yesterday… people say there’s not even any gasoline left at the gas stations,” she said, in a text message to contacts in Europe.
As the war extended into its ninth day, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had enough supplies to continue their drone and missile war over the Middle East for up to six months.
Several blasts were heard over Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv after the Israeli military said it had detected a salvo of missiles from Iran. The Magen David Adom emergency services said six people were wounded in central Israel.
Advanced Missiles
Trump again refused to rule out sending American ground troops into Iran but continued to insist that the war was all but won despite the ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes.
Guard’s spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naini, said Iran had so far used only first- and second-generation missiles but would use “advanced and less-used long-range missiles” in the coming days.
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that two people were killed and 12 wounded by a “military projectile” in Al Kharj province, having earlier said it intercepted a wave of drones headed for targets including the diplomatic quarter of its capital, Riyadh.
Kuwait, meanwhile, said an attack hit fuel tanks at its international airport, and Bahrain reported a water desalination plant had been damaged.
Iran’s health ministry said Sunday that at least 1,200 civilians had been killed and around 10,000 wounded — figures AFP could not independently verify.
Lebanon’s health minister said at least 394 people had been killed in Israeli air strikes since Lebanon was dragged into the war a week ago, including 83 children and 42 women.
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed during the fighting in southern Lebanon, the military said.
Trump, meanwhile, attended the return of the bodies of six American service members killed in a drone strike on a US base in Kuwait last Sunday.
No Clear Way Out
Analysts warn there is still no clear path to ending a conflict that US and Israeli officials say could last a month or longer.
Trump has suggested Iran’s economy could be rebuilt if a leader “acceptable” to Washington replaces the late Supreme Leader.
On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV prayed “that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open”.
Iran slammed a US blockade around its ports on Monday as a “grave violation” of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran’s belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce.
“The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a letter seen by AFP.
The “unlawful” blockade also “constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea,” Iravani added.
US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Gulf Sunday, following the failure of peace talks over the weekend, warning that any Iranian attack boats that challenged the blockade would be destroyed.
The blockade came into force at 1400 GMT Monday, despite the United States and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire days earlier, with mediator Pakistan and Gulf state Qatar continuing calls for it to be respected as diplomatic efforts continue.
Guterres on Monday called on “all parties” to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and subsequently the United States blocked passage through the critical waterway.
The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flows, has become a key flashpoint as the US and Iran attempt to gain leverage over each other during ceasefire negotiations.
Iravani said the “unlawful” blockade “poses a grave threat to international peace and security and obviously exacerbates the risk of escalation in an already highly volatile region.”
In a second letter, the UN envoy called on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases to “cease their internationally wrongful acts.”
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan should pay “compensation for all material and moral damage sustained,” he said.
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has distanced himself from recent media reports linking him to certain political aspirations, saying the comments were made without his knowledge or authorisation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said the remarks had been attributed to an unnamed individual described in media reports as his political associate, and that he had no hand in them.
“Malam Nasir El-Rufai wishes to dissociate himself from comments regarding political aspirations which have been attributed to someone described by the media as a political associate,” the statement read.
“He did not authorise such comments.”
The disclaimer pointedly underscored El-Rufai’s reputation for speaking his mind directly, with the statement noting that he had been known throughout his public life for the frank articulation of his views.
“He is not about to outsource the expression of his political views and thoughts to others,” the statement added, warning that any future communication from the former governor would come directly from him or through his designated spokesperson.
El-Rufai did not identify the associate in question, nor did the statement specify the nature of the political aspirations that had been reported.
However, the swift and emphatic denial suggests the former governor was keen to prevent any impression that the comments reflected his current political thinking or intentions.
JAMB declares readiness for 2026 UTME, urges parents to protest admission violations
The disclaimer comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, a period in which the positions and affiliations of prominent political figures are under intense media and public scrutiny.
El-Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and two-term governor of Kaduna State, remains one of the most closely watched political figures in northern Nigeria.
His next political move — including which party platform he may adopt ahead of 2027 — has been a subject of widespread speculation.
The Yobe State Police Command said its operatives have arrested three suspected vandals involved in the destruction and theft of transformer components belonging to Yobe State Television at Garin Alkali Booster Station.
The Command, through its Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Damaturu.
According to the Command, the arrest was made on April 14, 2026, by its operatives stationed in Garin Alkali while acting on credible intelligence.
“The arrested suspects are Muhammad Auwali, a.k.a. Aburare, 51, Inusa Lawan, 53, and Hassan Ibrahim, 27, all of Bursari and Gashua axis, Bade LGA. One accomplice identified as Ozu, is currently at large.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects criminally conspired and vandalised a transformer located at the YTV Booster Station, Garin Alkali, Bursari LGA.
“The suspects dismantled the transformer and sold part of the metal components”, it said.
The Command added that upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to selling some of the vandalised transformer parts to Hassan Ibrahim for the sum of N250,000, out of which N150,000 had already been paid.
“Investigation is in progress, after which the suspects will be charged in court for prosecution”, the police command said.
Commissioner of Police Usman Kamfani Jibrin, in the statement, warned scrap metal dealers against purchasing suspected stolen items and urged them to cooperate with security agencies in protecting critical public infrastructure.
He stressed that anyone found involved in such unlawful activities will be dealt with in accordance with extant laws.
Iran slams US blockade as ‘grave violation of sovereignty’
El-Rufai distances self from comments on political aspirations attributed to associate
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