Middle East Watch

The news that Iran’s Assembly of Experts named Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader of Iran appeared on Iranian state media Sunday afternoon, as relayed by the Jerusalem Post. Mojtaba was only a mid-ranking Islamic cleric before now, according to the Israeli outlet, but as the son of the decades-long dictator of the nation he had many powerful ties, including to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the terrorist group that acts as the government’s enforcers and helps orchestrate overseas terrorism. Israel has vowed to eliminate any supreme leader of Iran going forward.

Notably, it was the IRGC that slaughtered 40,000+ protesters in Iran during the recent mass protests against the Islamic regime. The new boss is the same as the old boss.

The Jerusalem Post explained:

Although Iran’s ruling ideology frowns on the principle of hereditary succession, he has a powerful following within the IRGC, including close ties to IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi, former head of IRGC intelligence Hossein Taeb, and political figures, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as well as his dead father’s still-influential office.

Since 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has haunted the U.S. with its hostage-taking, support of terrorism around the globe, threats to acquire nuclear weapons and vaporize Israel, and attempts to assassinate Donald Trump.

Despite decades of presidential talking, the current commander in chief is the first one to really make a serious move to neutralize the threat posed by Iran, and Operation Epic Fury has wiped out virtually their entire leadership structure. The final outcome is as yet unknown, but I think it’s safe to say that “action has been taken.”

But there’s another country that’s bedeviled us even longer: the República de Cuba.

Sitting just 90 miles off our shores, the communist regime was birthed by the late dictator Fidel Castro in 1959 following a revolution, and it almost brought us a nuclear-infused World War 3 with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1980, meanwhile, Castro sent some of the Caribbean country’s most violent, depraved criminals to Florida in the Mariel Boatlift.

BREAKING: Israel strikes the Shahr Rey oil refinery in Tehran for the first time.

Direct pressure on the Iranian regime that funds terrorism and threatens Israel. pic.twitter.com/8l9CAhNhuH

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) March 7, 2026

The Israeli Air Force is striking Iranian oil infrastructure in Tehran, footage posted to social media shows.

It apparently marks the first time since the start of the current war that Israel is striking national infrastructure in Iran.

The IDF said a short while ago that it… pic.twitter.com/NKqFUQdqQ7

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 7, 2026

President Donald Trump is refusing to rule out the possibility of deploying U.S. ground forces in Iran as the ongoing military operation against the regime enters its second week.

The question of ground troops comes amid ongoing airstrikes that have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities, though Tehran continues to launch retaliatory attacks. The conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the U.S. and Operation Lion’s Roar by Israel, began on February 28, 2026, with coordinated strikes aimed at destroying Iran’s military infrastructure and prompting regime change.

Administration officials have stated that Tehran continued to enrich uranium and threatened to build upwards of 11 nuclear weapons, which prompted the military action. President Trump has stated that completely eliminating Iran’s nuclear program is a stated goal of the operation.

While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump was asked about the possibility of deploying ground troops as part of the operation. After emphasizing the success of current aerial operations, Trump did not rule out boots on the ground in the future. “I would say if we ever did that, they would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” he said.

A US service member has died from injuries sustained during the Iranian regime’s attacks across the Middle East, CENTCOM reported Sunday. The service member was critically wounded on March 1 during an attack on US troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This marks the seventh American killed in action during Operation Epic Fury.

Earlier in the week, the Pentagon identified six service members who died in a drone strike by Iran over the weekend in Kuwait. They were Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California.

Iraq’s Kurds are against joining the US attacks on Iran, and have voiced concerns about being left facing Iranian retaliation with no ground or air defense support, Axios reported on Saturday.

The CIA began working to arm Kurdish forces hostile to the Islamic Republic after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran last Saturday, according to CNN. While US President Donald Trump initially voiced support for Kurds getting involved in the conflict, he backpedaled on the idea on Saturday.

“The Kurds must not be the tip of the spear in this conflict,” Axios wrote, citing a senior official from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Iraq.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani has described Iran’s strikes on Gulf countries as a “dangerous miscalculation” – warning the escalation risks destabilising the region and sending shockwaves through the global economy.

Speaking to the media for the first time since Qatar has come under repeated missile and drone attacks, the prime minister told Sky News that the country had entered what he called “a very difficult period” – but praised the professionalism of its defence and security forces.

For a man who has mediated some of the world’s most complex crises, what stood out to me was how angry he was about Iran’s actions.

“It is a big sense of betrayal,” he told me. “Just an hour after the start of the war, Qatar and other Gulf countries have been attacked. We made clear that we were not going to take part in any wars against our neighbours.”

Vladimir Putin has congratulated the new Supreme Leader of Iran with a statement that risks infuriating Donald Trump. The Russian leader sent a congratulatory message to Iran’s Supreme Leader-elect Mojtaba Khamenei, reaffirming his continued support and solidarity with Tehran.

A statement posted on the Kremlin’s website on Monday read: “Please accept my sincere congratulations on your election as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. At a time when Iran is confronting armed aggression, your tenure in this high position will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication. I am confident that you will honorably continue your father’s work and unite the Iranian people in the face of severe trials.” The statement, signed off by Putin himself, also reiterated Russia‘s “unwavering support” for Tehran and expressed solidarity with its “Iranian friends”. The leader confirmed that Russia has been and will remain a “reliable partner of the Islamic Republic”.

He has strong ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which pressured the Assembly of Experts to select him, Iran International reported.

Despite the connection to the military branch, he is not a high-ranking cleric and has never held an official role in the regime. He did, however, serve in the Iranian armed forces during the war with Israel.