Iran's New Supreme Leader Vows Revenge for Father's Killing
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- Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first public message since his father's funeral ceremonies began, calling vengeance for Ali Khamenei's death "the will of the nation" and pledging to "avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars."
- Ali Khamenei, Iran's previous Supreme Leader, was killed in an airstrike on 28 February — the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran — and was buried in his home city of Mashhad on Friday.
- Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since before the war and is rumored to have been disfigured in the strike that killed his father, per the source.
- Donald Trump warned that any Iranian assassination plots would see the US "decimate and destroy all areas" of Iran, after The Wall Street Journal reported Israel had shared intelligence about a recent Iranian plan to assassinate the US president; Trump denied the report.
- Three commercial tankers were attacked on a US-recommended route through Omani waters earlier this week, prompting US strikes that killed 17 people and injured 115 according to Iranian officials; Iran retaliated with strikes on US allies in the Gulf.
- Trump declared the ceasefire "over" while saying talks would continue, with US officials demanding Iran publicly state the Strait of Hormuz is open and stop firing on commercial ships; Iran told US officials the tanker attacks were a "mistake" by a rogue internal group.
Why it matters: The new Supreme Leader's public vow of revenge — paired with a reported Iranian assassination plan against Trump and Trump's threat to "decimate" Iran — escalates a conflict Trump simultaneously insists is still being negotiated, putting Strait of Hormuz shipping and ceasefire talks in immediate jeopardy. Iran now has 17 confirmed dead from US strikes to frame as martyrdom fuel for the retaliation Mojtaba has now publicly pledged.
