The China Mail - Iran names Khamenei's son as new supreme leader

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.

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 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".

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A.Sun--ThChM