What are the American secret services doing, after it was found out who will be the new supreme leader of Iran. Announcement from the White House
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt during a press conference at the White House on March 4, 2026. PHOTO: Andrew Leyden/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
President Donald Trump is discussing with his advisers the role the US could play in Iran after the end of the military campaign, while the US secret services are monitoring reports that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's supreme leader killed in the first wave of airstrikes on Saturday, has become the favorite to succeed the ayatollah as leader of the country, the White House announced on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
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“Of course, we've seen these reports as well, and our intelligence agencies are looking into them. The truth is, we'll have to wait and see,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, has become the leading candidate to succeed his father as Iran's supreme leader after spending years forging close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and gaining influence within the clerical establishment.
Moreover, the exiled publication Iran International wrote on Tuesday that Iran's Assembly of Experts has already chosen Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei, as the future supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. Citing sources familiar with Tuesday's discussions, the Iranian publication said the vote in the Assembly of Experts to appoint the country's new leader took place under pressure from the Revolutionary Guard.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, elected the new supreme leader of Iran
Leavitt added that Trump is actively reviewing and discussing with his national security team what role Washington can play in Iran's future once the operation ends, but that right now the top priority is the success of the military operation.
Leavitt also defended US objectives in the joint Israeli-US air war against Iran amid criticism that Washington had not provided evidence of the imminent threat Tehran posed directly to the United States, adding that Trump believed the American people supported the war.
“The decision to launch this operation is based on the cumulative effect of the various direct threats that Iran has posed to the United States of America,” Leavitt said.
“I repeat, this is a terrorist, destructive regime that has been threatening the United States, our allies, and our people for 47 years, and the American people are smart enough to know it,” Leavitt continued.
Trump rejected suggestions that Israel had pushed the US into the conflict, as his administration gave different explanations and faced criticism from supporters and Democrats who accused him of launching a “war of discretion”.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released earlier this week showed that only one in four Americans approve of the US attacks on Iran, which have thrown the Middle East into chaos, while about half of them – including one in four Republicans – believe Trump is too willing to use military force.
