The U.S. achieved a quick victory when its first strikes on Iran killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader for nearly 37 years.
But news that the country had appointed Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his successor, along with Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, sent oil prices skyrocketing above $120 per barrel on Monday, their highest levels since 2022.
“The Iranians are showing defiance by choosing the son of Khamenei,” Michael Herzog, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., told CNBC on Tuesday. He added it showed there was “continuity, and the guy will probably be vengeful.”
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his “disappointment” in the new supreme leader’s selection, telling Fox News: “I don’t believe he can live in peace.”
The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, told CNBC on Monday the country would unite around Mojtaba Khomeini when asked about schisms in the country’s leadership.
