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Iran’s Meeting of Consultants, a physique of 88 clerics, introduced on Monday that Ayatollah Mojtaba Hussein Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei who was assassinated by a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on February 28, has been elected the brand new Supreme Chief. Mr. Khamenei, 56, is the third Supreme Chief of the Islamic Republic. U.S. President Donald Trump had stated final week that he needed to be concerned within the election of Iran’s new chief. He additionally signalled that Mr. Khamenei was not acceptable to him. However Mr. Trump appears to have little or no affect among the many Majles-e Khobregan (Meeting of Consultants). Instantly after Mr. Khamenei was appointed, Iran launched a volley of missiles in the direction of Israel, because the battle entered the tenth day on Monday.
Inside 10 days, the battle has already turn out to be regional. The U.S. and Israel have dropped hundreds of bombs in Iran, hitting a number of navy and financial targets. Iran says round 1,400 individuals have been killed within the battle. Darkish haze enveloped Tehran on Sunday after oil storage amenities have been bombed. Iran additionally accused the U.S. of bombing a desalination plant. In line with an evaluation by the New York Occasions, U.S. missile strikes possible hit a women’ elementary faculty in Minab by which no less than 160 individuals have been killed. Iran has attacked U.S. bases and navy belongings throughout the area in addition to Israel. Some Iranian drones and missiles focused oil amenities within the Persian Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz stays successfully shut. Some Gulf international locations have lowered oil manufacturing and others have warned of a whole halt within the coming days if the battle continues. Crude value hit a 52-week excessive on Monday at $110 a barrel. Mr. Trump, who began this battle, says it’s a “short-term” ache.
On Day 1, Mr. Trump stated the overthrow of the Iranian state was his objective. He urged the Iranians to take over the establishments, saying “it is a once-in-a-generation” alternative. It didn’t occur. On Day 2, Mr. Trump stated he has “agreed to speak” to Iran as Tehran sought negotiations. In response, Ali Larijani, Iran’s Safety Council Secretary, stated “We received’t negotiate with the Individuals”. Final week, Mr. Trump stated he wouldn’t make a take care of Iran and demanded Tehran’s “full give up”. He stated the battle can be over solely after Iran’s give up and the appointment of a brand new supreme chief who is appropriate to him. Mr. Larijani responded once more, saying, “we received’t let Trump off the hook this time”. And on Sunday evening, Iran selected a brand new Supreme Chief, signalling that the state continues to operate regardless of the battle. Israel and the U.S. can proceed to bomb Iran, however the bombing marketing campaign doesn’t appear to be serving to the U.S. to satisfy its goal of regime change.
Our journalists have been masking the completely different facets of the battle. See the reviews by Meera Srinivasan, our correspondent in Sri Lanka, concerning the U.S. assault on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast. The ship IRIS Dena was within the area to attend a naval train in Visakhapatnam. After the assault, Sri Lanka evacuated 208 members of one other Iranian ship, IRINS Bushehr, which was stranded close to its territorial waters. The U.S. assault on Dena signalled a harmful spillover of the West Asia battle to the waters near India’s coast.
One query many requested for the reason that battle broke out is: the place are Russia and China, Iran’s shut pals? The Washington Put up ran a narrative final week saying Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran concerning the location and motion of American belongings and troopers within the area. To know China’s place, Ananth Krishnan, our correspondent in Beijing, has two tales. On this interview, Wang Dong, professor on the College of Worldwide Research at Peking College, says navy ventures convey long-term decline. And China’s International Minister Wang Yi spoke a few host of points in a press convention on Sunday, together with ties with India, the necessity for BRICS cooperation and the battle in West Asia. Learn Ananth’s evaluation right here.
Suhasini Haidar, The Hindu’s diplomatic affairs editor, has interviewed Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Finland is a NATO ally of the U.S. On this interview, Mr. Stubb stated Europe would again the U.S. in opposition to Iran, however added that the U.S. and Israel are performing ‘outdoors the framework of worldwide regulation’. Learn the interview right here.
As Iran has a brand new supreme chief, it is very important perceive Iran’s political system. See this explainer. We even have a profile of Ali Larijani, the Safety Council chief, one of the highly effective males in right this moment’s Iran. The thinker who seeks vengeance.
The Prime 5
1. The legality of U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran
U.S., Israel launch strikes on Iran as a ‘pre-emptive’ response to an imminent risk, elevating questions concerning the legality of the usage of pressure beneath the UN Constitution; missile strike on a women’ major faculty raises issues over violations of Worldwide Humanitarian Regulation, notably the rules of distinction, proportionality, precaution, writes Kartikey Singh.
2. Why does the Strait of Hormuz’s closure matter?
The place is the Strait of Hormuz and what’s its significance? Why have tensions in West Asia affected this passage? What does Iran must do with the near-complete closure of the strait? How does the state of affairs have an effect on India and what’s the authorities doing about it? writes M. Kalyanaraman.
3. India-Canada uranium deal and India’s nuclear programme | Defined
India has more and more relied on imported uranium, which presently meets almost three-fourths of the civilian want, writes Vasudevan Mukunth.
4. Rastriya Swatantra Occasion – the bell strikes
The celebration that campaigned on anti-corruption, anti-establishment platforms has emerged because the winner of Nepal’s first post-protest election, writes Sanjeev Satgainya.
India ought to oppose the U.S.’s try and widen the battle to the Indian Ocean, writes The Hindu on this editorial.
Printed – March 09, 2026 12:13 pm IST
