Tehran, Mar 09 (V7N) – Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the son of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been elected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran, according to Iranian state media.

The announcement was made late Sunday (March 8, Bangladesh time). Mojtaba Khamenei is set to become the third Supreme Leader since the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution.

The selection was made by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of senior religious scholars responsible for appointing the country’s Supreme Leader. In the final vote, the council chose Mojtaba Khamenei and called on the public to support the new leader.

The leadership transition comes after Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed on February 28 in a joint military strike involving the United States and Israel, according to Iranian reports. Iranian media also said that several members of his family, including his daughter, grandson and son-in-law, were killed in the attack.

The Supreme Leader holds the highest authority in Iran, overseeing the country’s political, military and religious institutions.

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