BREAKING: Iranian Council Names New Supreme Leader, Reports Claim

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly been selected to replace his father, according to Iranian opposition media.

Iranian International reported Tuesday that Mojtaba was tapped by Iran’s Assembly of Experts to assume control of the country. The claim was quickly picked up by Israeli media but has not been confirmed by Iran’s state-run outlets.

In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s strike that killed the elder Khamenei, Mojtaba was initially rumored to be among roughly 40 senior regime figures who were also killed. That report now appears to have been incorrect.

The reported appointment comes as questions have swirled for days over who would succeed Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for decades and maintained a fiercely anti-Western posture while tightening control at home.

The Assembly of Experts, a powerful clerical body responsible for appointing and overseeing the supreme leader, conducts its deliberations largely behind closed doors. Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed the reported decision.

If confirmed, Mojtaba’s elevation would keep leadership within the Khamenei family at a time of heightened tensions and uncertainty inside the Islamic Republic.

Mojtaba Khamenei (Wiki Commons)

RELATED: Israelis Destroy ‘Secret’ Iranian Nuclear Site

The rumor surfaced moments after Israel’s military said it had dealt another blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The Israel Defense Forces destroyed a secret Iranian nuclear weapons development site on Tuesday, IDF Chief Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said at a press conference, marking the first public disclosure of new Iranian activity since last year’s Twelve-Day War.

Defrin identified the facility as Min Zadai, located on the northeastern outskirts of Tehran, and said it was tied directly to weapons development efforts. Israeli intelligence tracked nuclear scientists who were attempting to travel to the site clandestinely, he said.

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