Iran selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as his successor, a move that was announced on Iranian state TV early Monday (March 9).
Mojtaba Khamenei was considered a contender for the role even prior to his father’s assassination during ‘Operation Epic Fury’ on February 28. Iran’s military and political leaders pledged allegiance to the younger Khamenei, but the move is expected to draw the ire of President Donald Trump who publicly stated that it would be “unacceptable” and likely halts the possibility of the United States’ operations in Iran ending swiftly.
The announcement came hours after Israel launched strikes on 30 Iranian fuel deposits Saturday (March 7), which reportedly went beyond the United States’ expectations, a U.S. official, an Israeli official and a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Axios on Sunday (March 8). The strikes resulted in rain water saturated with oil covered rooftops and streets, while photos showed large black clouds during the aftermath of the attacks.
U.S. and Israeli officials said the Israel Defense Forces, who publicly took credit for the attack, claiming they were targeting “the military infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime,” notified the U.S. military ahead of the strikes but the American military was surprised by how wide-ranging the attacks were.
“We don’t think it was a good idea,” a senior U.S. official told Axios.
An Israeli official reportedly told Axios that the U.S. response to the strikes was “WTF.”
An advisor to Trump told Axios that the president was not in favor of the attack.
“The president doesn’t like the attack. He wants to save the oil. He doesn’t want to burn it. And it reminds people of higher gas prices,” the advisor said.
Recent Comments