Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s supreme leader after father’s death as oil prices surge

By Muhammad MubashirPublished On 09 Mar 2026
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  • Mojtaba Khamenei is named as Iran's new supreme leader, state media reports

  • He replaces his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at his compound in Tehran in the first wave of US and Israeli strikes

  • US Central Command says a seventh US service member has died from injuries sustained during Iran's initial attack across the Middle East last week

  • Meanwhile, the price of crude oil has risen above $110 (£82) a barrel as the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for shipments, remains effectively closed

  • Lebanon's death toll from Israeli strikes has risen to nearly 400, according to the government's health minister

  • Our reporter writes one hospital received patients and bodies early this morning after an Israeli strike on a village in the south of the country

  • Iranians have described scenes in Tehran after oil depots were hit by intense aerial bombardment, with one woman saying "you can smell the burning"

  • A Saudi Arabia official says two people have been killed after a projectile hit a residential area