Iran’s Gulf neighbors found themselves under sustained military assault on Sunday as the country’s political leadership transitioned to a new supreme leader. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates all reported Iranian drone and missile attacks in a single day — the same day the Assembly of Experts confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader. The attacks killed two people in Saudi Arabia and damaged critical desalination infrastructure in Bahrain.
Mojtaba Khamenei is the 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28. His appointment is unprecedented in the history of the Islamic Republic, marking the first time the supreme leadership has passed within a family since the 1979 revolution. The Assembly of Experts described the vote as decisive and urged national unity.
Iranian institutions quickly backed the new leader. The IRGC declared its loyalty, joined by the armed forces leadership and parliament. Senior security official Ali Larijani expressed confidence in Mojtaba’s abilities. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who receive Iranian support, celebrated the appointment and called it a blow to the enemies of the Islamic Republic. Iranian missiles bearing messages of loyalty to the new leader were shown on state media.
Israel continued its operations against Iranian targets on Monday, launching strikes on regime infrastructure inside the country. The Israeli military also confirmed attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. On the economic front, the IRGC issued a warning that oil prices could exceed $200 per barrel if strikes on Iranian energy facilities continued. The United States pledged not to hit Iranian energy infrastructure in an effort to stabilize global oil markets.
The multi-front nature of the conflict creates an extremely complex environment for Mojtaba Khamenei’s inaugural period as supreme leader. Iran is simultaneously fighting in Lebanon through Hezbollah, attacking Gulf states, facing Israeli strikes, and managing an unstable oil market. Whether the new leader can impose a coherent strategy on this fragmented battlefield — or whether the conflict will develop its own momentum beyond his control — is the central question of his early tenure.