Mojtaba Khamenei has been named Iran’s new supreme leader, and President Donald Trump says he is “not happy” about the outcome, according to a phone conversation described on U.S. television.
The leadership change was reported by Iranian state media after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei early in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Iran’s succession decision is unfolding as the conflict continues to drive security warnings, evacuation planning, and market volatility. U.S. officials have also signaled they expect more military operations while warning Americans in the region to stay alert as missile and drone threats persist.
How Mojtaba Khamenei was selected
Iran’s clerical Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics tasked with choosing the supreme leader, appointed Mojtaba Khamenei in a vote that concluded Sunday, March 8, 2026, with a statement issued just after midnight Tehran time, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media.
The appointment makes Mojtaba Khamenei the country’s third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The supreme leader role carries final authority over major state matters, including defense and security, and it sits above Iran’s elected institutions. Iranian state media reported that senior military bodies pledged allegiance after the appointment, including statements of readiness from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Reuters reported.
The selection is likely to intensify scrutiny abroad because Iran has historically rejected hereditary monarchy, yet the office has now passed from father to son. Iranian officials have argued that the process is constitutional and governed by the Assembly of Experts rather than bloodline, even as critics describe the transfer as dynastic in effect.
Trump’s comments on Mojtaba Khamenei and “approval” claims
Trump’s latest remark came through a media account of a phone call. CBS News reported that Fox News host Brian Kilmeade said he spoke by phone with Trump on Sunday, March 8, 2026, and Trump said, “I am not happy,” about Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise.
In other interviews, Trump has gone further, suggesting the United States should be involved in Iran’s leadership outcome. In an interview with ABC News published Sunday, March 8, 2026, Trump said Iran’s next leader would have to get U.S. approval, adding that if he did not, he “is not going to last long.”
Trump also described Mojtaba Khamenei in dismissive terms in an Axios interview last week, calling him a “lightweight” and saying he wanted to be involved in the selection process, Reuters reported, referencing Axios’ account.
Those statements have prompted debate about what “approval” would mean in practical terms. Iran’s constitution assigns the selection to the Assembly of Experts, and Iranian leaders have historically rejected foreign influence over internal succession. At the same time, the war has created a reality in which Iran’s leadership decisions are being made under direct military pressure and explicit threats from adversaries.
