For decades, Islamic governance held allure in the Middle East. Now some scholars say the Islamist wave has passed.
From Iran to Gaza, Eid al-Adha celebrations were muted as war dragged on and shortages of food and fuel roiled the region.
Pakistan, which has cultivated ties with both Washington and Tehran, sees a diplomatic opening to intervene in the war in Iran, its neighbor.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr replaces Ali Larijani, who was killed last week in an Israeli strike. He has a history of expanding the Guards’ reach into Iran’s politics.
Several senior Iranian officials showed up at the government-sponsored rally, marking Quds Day, an annual anti-Israel event that was shaken by explosions from the U.S.-Israeli aerial assault.
His father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had turned what was traditionally a religious affairs office into a shadowy national security juggernaut.
Opponents of the government, however, worried the new supreme leader, a son of the recently killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would rule with an iron fist like his father.
Mojtaba Khamenei takes on a role that makes him not only Iran’s spiritual leader but also the highest authority in the land.
The selection of a son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on his compound at the start of the war, could anger Iranians seeking change.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, was deeply respected among the millions of Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and India.