Iran’s Assembly of Experts names Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader

Iran’s Assembly of Experts said it had selected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the Islamic Republic’s third supreme leader with an overwhelming majority vote during an emergency session early Monday.

In a statement, the clerical body said the meeting was convened immediately after reports that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli attack on Febraury 28. It said the leadership transition was carried out “without interruption” to prevent a power vacuum during wartime conditions.