Iran launched missiles toward Israel and several Gulf nations early Monday shortly after authorities announced the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei.
The development came nine days after joint strikes by the United States and Israel reportedly killed the elder Khamenei, triggering a major escalation that has pushed the Middle East deeper into conflict.
Iranian clerics selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to a statement broadcast on Iranian state television.
The announcement was read by a presenter alongside a portrait of the 56-year-old cleric, citing a decision by the country’s 88-member Assembly of Experts.
The statement said the assembly unanimously approved his appointment despite what it described as “aggression” from the United States and Israel.
Shortly after the announcement, Iranian state media aired footage of a projectile reportedly launched toward Israel bearing a slogan pledging allegiance to the new leader.
Israel responded with another round of airstrikes targeting infrastructure in central Iran, intensifying the already widening conflict.
The renewed hostilities rattled global markets, sending stock prices lower while crude oil surged by about 30 per cent amid fears of supply disruptions.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia said their defence systems intercepted drones heading toward an oil facility in the eastern part of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait also reported missile attacks, while sirens were activated in Bahrain following reported strikes.
The war erupted weeks after Iranian security forces suppressed widespread protests across the country.
Mojtaba Khamenei, considered a staunch conservative, is widely expected to continue his father’s hardline stance against dissent.
Before the leadership announcement, US President Donald Trump had publicly criticised Mojtaba Khamenei, describing him as politically weak and suggesting Washington should influence the leadership decision.
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Trump said the cleric would struggle to maintain power without international acceptance.
Israel had also warned that any successor to the late supreme leader could become a target in the ongoing conflict.
Oil prices rose sharply as the fighting threatened supplies from the oil-rich Gulf region, pushing the global benchmark price above $100 per barrel for the first time since Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Despite the surge, Trump described the rise in prices as a “small price to pay” for neutralising what he called Iran’s nuclear threat.
The conflict also shook Asian financial markets, particularly in countries heavily dependent on imported energy such as Japan and South Korea.
In a sign the crisis may persist, the US State Department ordered non-essential personnel to leave Saudi Arabia days after a drone struck the US embassy in the kingdom.
Trump also said any decision on when to end hostilities would be taken jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps quickly pledged loyalty to the new leader, promising full obedience to his directives.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the appointment would safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, the conflict spread further into Lebanon, where Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah reported clashes with Israeli forces that allegedly entered eastern Lebanon using helicopters from across the Syrian border.
Lebanon became directly involved in the conflict after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel following the reported killing of Ali Khamenei.
Lebanon’s National News Agency earlier reported intense fighting near the town of Nabi Sheet, where an Israeli operation over the weekend reportedly left dozens dead.
Israel had also struck a hotel in central Beirut on Sunday, targeting commanders linked to the Qods Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Lebanon’s health authorities said four people were killed and 10 injured in that strike, while overall fatalities in the country since the start of the conflict had risen to at least 394, including dozens of women and children.
Elsewhere, Bahrain’s health ministry said 32 people were wounded in an overnight drone attack on the island of Sitra.
Saudi authorities also reported that two people were killed and 12 injured after a projectile struck Al-Kharj Province.
Iran’s health ministry, meanwhile, said the conflict had left at least 1,200 civilians dead and about 10,000 others injured, though the figures could not be independently verified.