The China Mail - Trump says new Iran leader won't last long without his approval

Nine days after US-Israeli strikes on his compound killed Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war, Iran's Assembly of Experts met privately and chose their next leader, members of the body said.

The clerics did not say who had been selected, only that a name would be announced soon. Some suggested Khamenei's 56-year old son Mojtaba Khamenei would succeed his father.

Trump had previously demanded a say in the appointment and dismissed the younger Khamenei as an unacceptable "lightweight".

"He's going to have to get approval from us," Trump told ABC News on Sunday, referring to Iran's next leader. "If he doesn't get approval from us he's not going to last long."

But Tehran's top diplomat said earlier in the day 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 that Trump "apologise to people of the region" for the spiralling war.

The younger Khamenei is regarded as a conservative figure, notably because of his ties to the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic's military.

Israel's military has warned any successor that "we will not hesitate to target you".

- Air 'unbreathable' -

Israel's reach was underlined by two new operations overnight -- strikes against fuel dumps in and around Tehran, and an attack on a hotel in the heart of Lebanon's capital Beirut that targeted suspected Iranian commanders.

Warplanes hit five oil facilities around the Iranian capital, killing at least four people, according to a state oil executive, and blanketing the city in 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, while 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 a 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 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 of 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 US ground troops into Iran, but continued to insist that the war was all but won despite the ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes.

Guards 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 two people were killed and 12 wounded by a "projectile" on Saturday 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 were killed during the fighting in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said.

Trump on Saturday attended the return of the bodies of six American service members who were 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.

China and Russia have largely stayed on the sidelines despite close ties with Tehran.

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".

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C.Fong--ThChM