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.
The bloody crackdown offers hints about growing tensions inside the country’s ruling system as the cleric’s rule comes under strain.
After more than a decade of wars, from Syria to Gaza, the Middle East is exhausted by conflict. Is it ready to find another way?