While the war in the Middle East is going on, Iran has appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of Iran on Monday, March 9, 2026, replacing his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the strike. Mojtaba is a notorious hardline politician and has strong links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and has been described as the gatekeeper of the country, despite the fact that he has never held elected office. However, the appointment of Mojtaba has been met with widespread criticism from within Iran, where the new Supreme Leader has been identified as the face of domestic tyranny by the demonstrators, and from outside the country, where President Trump has already termed him "unacceptable."

Mojtaba has the potential of turning out to be even more radical than his father and is expected to take revenge for the killing of his wife in the recent airstrike.