With new supreme leader’s strong connections to the IRGC, critics fear worse is to come – if he survives
Middle East crisis – live updates
At around midday, even as airstrikes hit several parts of the capital, large crowds gathered in Tehran’s famous Enghelab Square to chant their allegiance to Iran’s new supreme leader.
Carrying banners showing the face of the country’s slain leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, people on Monday held a new portrait – that of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Other similar scenes on state media showed pledges of loyalty from several cities across the country, with people chanting, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, as security forces looked on.
