Mojtaba Hameney, Son of Supreme Leader, Elected as Iran's New Leader... Will the Standoff with the U.S. Continue?

Mojtaba Hameney Elected as Iran's New Leader

Trump Increases Pressure on Iran Until Just Before Election

Hardliner Willing to Stand Firm Against the United States

Potential for Escalation if Nuclear Weapons Policy Is Maintained

U.S. Considers Deploying Special Forces to Secure Uranium

Motahva Hamenei. Photo by AFP News Agency

With Mojtaba Hameney, the second son of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hameney, being elected as Iran's new Supreme Leader, it is expected that the standoff between Iran and the United States will continue. Mojtaba Hameney is classified as a hardliner, known for his uncompromising stance against the United States and his willingness to pursue nuclear weapons. As U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that the target of U.S. airstrikes on Iran is the "elimination of nuclear weapons," it appears that neither side will back down.

According to Reuters and other foreign media outlets on March 8 (local time), Iran's constitutional body, the Assembly of Experts, announced, “At today's emergency session, based on the decisive votes of the esteemed representatives of the Assembly of Experts, Mojtaba Hameney has been elected as the third leader of the sacred Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Mojtaba has never held an official government position. However, he is known to have wielded significant influence as a close confidant of his father, Hameney, particularly over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and intelligence agencies. Upon news of Mojtaba's election as Supreme Leader, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps immediately pledged their loyalty and support.

With him assuming leadership, it is expected that Iran’s resistance against the United States will persist. If Iran maintains its existing position on nuclear weapons, the level of confrontation could escalate further.

Donald Trump, President of the United States Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, prior to Mojtaba's election, U.S. President Donald Trump stated in an interview with ABC News, “He (Mojtaba Hameney) will need to get our approval. If he does not receive our approval, he will not last long.”

President Trump added, “I do not want people having to go through the same thing again five years from now, or worse, for them to end up possessing nuclear weapons.” Previously, in an interview with Axios, President Trump said, “Hameney’s son is unacceptable,” asserting that he should be involved in Iran’s succession process.

For the Trump administration, which does not want a prolonged war with Iran, it has become crucial to completely eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons development capabilities. This is why the United States and Israel are reportedly considering deploying special forces to Iran.

The objective of the operation is to secure 450 kg of 60% enriched uranium inside Iran.60% enriched uranium can be further enriched to 90% within a few weeks,whichis weapons-grade and could be used to make nuclear weapons. If the conflict drags on, the outcome will become increasingly unpredictable.

The majority of this highly enriched uranium remains at the Isfahan nuclear facility, which was attacked by the United States and Israel in June last year, but it is highly likely that Iran has relocated some of it elsewhere. This is because the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that several weeks prior to the airstrike in February this year, there was ongoing activity outside tunnels near the facility involving highly enriched uranium.

On March 7, President Trump was also asked aboard Air Force One whether ground troops could be deployed to secure nuclear material. He responded, “At some point, it could happen. I have not targeted that yet, but it could happen in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.