World · 12 July 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei pledges revenge for father's death.
AhmadKermani1979 via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei made his first public statement since becoming Iran's Supreme Leader, pledging to avenge his father's death. Ali Khamenei, who held the position before him, died on 28 February, the initial day of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, after an air strike. The new leader stated that the nation desired vengeance and that it would occur irrespective of leadership.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs