Iranian leaders have pledged allegiance and support for Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named on Monday to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, signalling that hardliners remain in charge despite US and Israel's war.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian welcomed the appointment of a new supreme leader by the Iranian Assembly of Experts, saying it was the start of a "new era of dignity and strength” for the country.
“This valuable choice is a manifestation of the will of the Islamic nation to consolidate national unity; a unity that, like a solid barrier, has made the Iranian nation resistant to the conspiracies of the enemies,” Mr Pezeshkian said, according to a statement carried by Fars news agency.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aaragchi congratulated the people of Iran on "the worthy election of Mojtaba Khamenei” as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution.
"I, along with all the delegations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the ambassadors, chargés-de-affaires, consuls-general, and other heads of our country's missions abroad, and the deputies, directors, and employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inside the country, declare allegiance to the third supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution,” he said.
He added that they will "not hesitate for a moment to defend the rights of the great Iranian nation, to advance the interests and national security”.
For him, the election, in the current and dangerous situation of the country, "will undoubtedly guarantee the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and will strengthen national unity and cohesion.”
The country's defence council said in a statement, "We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop of our blood.”
Senior cleric Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli-Larijani said Mojtaba Khamenei's appointment was "a balm for the spiritual suffering of our people and an emphasis on the need to continue the luminous path of the late imam (Khamenei senior).”
Ali Larijani, a leading adviser to the late leader and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, praised Mr Khamenei as having been "raised in the school of leadership”.
"God willing, his existence will be a source of goodness and blessing. He can lead the country with the teachings he learnt from his great father,” Mr Larijani said.
"Our wish is that during the leadership of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran will be on the path of development.”
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said he considers it his religious and national duty to follow Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader.
Mr Khamenei, a cleric with influence inside Iran's security forces and vast business networks under his father, had been viewed as a front-runner in the lead-up to Sunday's vote by the Assembly of Experts, 88 clerics tasked with choosing Ali Khamenei's successor.
The position gives Mr Khamenei the final say in all matters of state in the Islamic Republic.
Ammar Al Hakim, head of Iraq's Hikma movement, congratulated him on his selection asl eader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Mr Al Hakim wished Mr Khamenei "success in continuing the path” of his father and his ancestors "in upholding the word of truth and perpetuating the journey of sacrifice and devotion”.
Strikes on Gulf continue
The election of the new leader comes as the US and Israel continued to bomb Iran, including its capital Tehran, heavily over the weekend. Iran, meanwhile, is still attacking Israel and Arab Gulf states regularly with drones and missiles. Tehran has said it can sustain the war at this level for at least six months.
Saudi Arabia hardened its tone against Iran as it dealt with incoming projectiles again on Monday, including ones heading towards oil giant Aramco’s Shaybah field and areas in and around Riyadh.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry warned that Tehran’s actions risk further escalation, in which Iran “will be its biggest loser.” The kingdom also said the Iranian attacks will have a “profound” impact on future relations.
On Monday, the US ordered American non-essential diplomats in Saudi Arabia to leave the country, citing safety risks. The move marks Washington’s first “ordered departure” since it started the war. It follows a US service member dying overnight after being wounded in an attack on US troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1. That brought the US death toll in the war to seven.
Riyadh reported its first fatalities since the start of the war over the weekend, with two deaths occurring when a projectile fell in a residential area near the Prince Sultan airbase outside of Riyadh, which houses US troops.
Iran says more than 1,300 people have died in US and Israeli attacks so far. Israel struck many fuel depots in Tehran on Saturday, sparking a warning from the Red Crescent about toxic acid rain in the city of 9.5 million people.
The UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain intercepted Iranian attacks over the weekend. Late on Sunday, Kuwait said its air defences intercepted three ballistic missiles and destroyed two drones, while two other drones targeted areas near Kuwait’s international airport, hitting fuel depots.
A water desalination plant in Bahrain was damaged following an Iranian drone attack, but Bahraini officials said that there was no impact on water supplies.
UAE air defences were responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran on Monday morning, the Defence Ministry said.
Abu Dhabi media office said that two people, an Egyptian and a Jordanian, were injured by debris, following successful air defence interceptions of strikes from Iran on Monday morning.
In Bahrain, a fire erupted at a facility in Maameer after it was targeted in an Iranian attack, causing material damage, the country's National Communication Centre said.
There are no reported injuries or fatalities, it said, adding that emergency response teams are on the ground and firefighting operations are currently under way.
Bahrain's Bapco Energies has declared force majeure after a recent attack on its refinery complex.
The company said that all domestic market needs remain fully secured and supplies will continue without disruption, supported by proactive plans in place.
