Web Desk

TEHRAN: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ambassador to Iran, Mudassir Tipu, has asked Pakistanis currently in Iran to immediately register themselves at the Pakistani Embassy, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Monday. According to a statement issued by the embassy,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistani-fm-discusses-regional-tensions-with-uae-iranian-counterparts" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ambassador Tipu</a>&nbsp;said that due to the ongoing issues In Iran, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find buses, and several other factors are also causing difficulties. Therefore, Pakistani citizens who wish to return to Pakistan are requested to promptly register themselves at the embassy, so that arrangements for their departure can be made without any further delay, it said. He particularly appealed to Pakistani nationals in Qom to fully cooperate with the embassy for their immediate return to Pakistan.

Foreign Affairs

An embassy statement said, ‘Pakistani citizens who wish to return to Pakistan are requested to promptly register themselves at the embassy with our assistance, so that arrangements for their departure can be made without any further delay.’

Pakistanis in Iran urged to register immediately at embassy in Tehran

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan is <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/527-afghan-taliban-killed-in-crossborder-strikes-under-operation-ghazb-lil-haq-pakistan-minister" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">targeting</a> terrorist hideouts, not civilian areas,&nbsp;in Afghanistan, said&nbsp;Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday while speaking with foreign correspondents, reported the news agency, APP.&nbsp; The information minister said operations are based on accurate intelligence information. &ldquo;Pakistan is targeting only the infrastructure of terrorists and their support networks,&rdquo; he said. Tarar dismissed the figures presented by Afghanistan&#39;s interim government. He said the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-debunks-fabricated-afghan-reports-of-strikes-on-nur-khan-airbase" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">claims of battlefield victories</a> against Pakistan are &ldquo;incorrect and merely propaganda.&rdquo; The minister denied reports from the Afghan Taliban regime and the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan alleging civilian casualties. He said the UN agency in Kabul relies entirely on information provided by the Taliban government. He said joint attacks by the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij (<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ttptaliban-nexus-exposed-as-attacks-and-retaliation-mirror-each-other" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan</a>) confirm a nexus between the interim Afghan government and multiple terrorist organizations operating from Afghan territory. &ldquo;All attacks by the Afghan Taliban regime have been responded to promptly and effectively,&rdquo; Tarar said. He said that Pakistan has accurately targeted terrorists and their aides, including Afghan Taliban military bases, without striking civilian areas.

Pakistan is targeting militant hideouts inside Afghanistan, not civilian areas, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on March 9, 2026. (Radio Pakistan)

Security

Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan is targeting terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan, not civilian areas. He rejected Afghan Taliban claims of civilian casualties, saying strikes are precisely targeting terrorists and their support networks.

Pakistan targeting militant bases, not civilian areas, in Afghanistan: Information Minister

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s military carried out strikes on Monday&nbsp;targeting Afghan Taliban and Fitna al Khawarij (T<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ttptaliban-nexus-exposed-as-attacks-and-retaliation-mirror-each-other" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">ehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan</a>) positions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and destroyed an ammunition depot at the Shaheen Base in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/over-70-militants-of-gul-bahadur-group-eliminated-in-strikes-security-officials" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paktika</a>, Radio Pakistan reported, quoting security officials. The military also destroyed an Afghan Taliban post near Shawal Valley in South Waziristan, in northwestern Pakistan. The operations are part of Pakistan&#39;s Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, a campaign launched on Feb. 26 in response to repeated cross-border attacks from Afghanistan that have killed several Pakistani civilians. The operation aims to dismantle infrastructure in Afghanistan that is used to launch cross-border attacks into Pakistan. On Sunday, Pakistan&#39;s Information Minister <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-kills-583-taliban-combatants-as-border-operation-enters-day-ten" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Attaullah Tarar</a> said Pakistani forces had carried out sustained strikes on terrorist positions across Afghanistan as part of a coordinated response. In a single day, 242 Taliban checkposts were destroyed; 38 additional posts were captured and subsequently destroyed by Pakistani forces.

Pakistan military destroyed an Afghan Taliban post near Shawal valley in South Waziristan, in northwestern Pakistan on March 9, 2026. (Radio Pakistan)

Pakistan’s military destroyed an ammunition depot at Shaheen Base in Paktika, Afghanistan, targeting Taliban and TTP positions. The operation is part of Operation Ghazab lil Haq.

Pakistan military destroys Afghan Taliban ammunition depot in cross-border strikes

HONG KONG: Stock markets plunged Monday as oil and gas prices soared on fears about supplies from the Middle East with the US-Israeli war against Iran continuing into a second week with no sign of letting up. Investors, already spooked by concerns over extended tech valuations and the huge spending on AI, ran for the hills as crude rocketed to its highest level since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Fears grew that the Middle East conflict could last for some time after US President Donald Trump said only the &quot;unconditional surrender&quot; of Iran would end the war. He added at the weekend that the spike in prices was a &quot;small price to pay&quot; to eliminate Iran&#39;s nuclear threat, reiterating the White House&#39;s insistence that the rise is temporary. West Texas Intermediate and BrentBoth main contracts, which had surged more than a quarter last week, spiked as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes against crude-producing Gulf nations. West Texas Intermediate and Brent both jumped around 30% to hit peaks just short of $120 a barrel. European gas prices also soared 30% on Monday. Since the beginning of the war, WTI rose more than 75% and Brent more than 60% before easing on the G7 news. Emergency reservesHowever, the surge was pared as French officials confirmed a Financial Times story that finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialised nations would discuss tapping emergency reserves to ease the supply strain. Attacks on oilfields were reported in southern Iraq and in the northern autonomous Kurdistan region, which forced a US-run oilfield to cease production, while the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have started reducing output. Strait of Hormuz That came with maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz -- through which a fifth of global crude passes -- halted since the war began on Feb. 28. The prospect of high energy prices for a sustained period has fanned fears of a fresh spike in inflation that could hit the global economy while preventing central banks from cutting interest rates to support growth. With the prospect of the global economy taking a blow from the crisis, equity markets extended last week&#39;s losses, though they pared some of the early retreat. Seoul, which had been the best performer this year thanks to a tech rally, tumbled more than eight percent at one point before closing six percent down, while Tokyo shed more than five percent and Taipei fell more than four percent. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, Mumbai, Jakarta and Wellington were also sharply lower. London, Paris and Frankfurt opened on the back foot. &quot;Stocks continue to face stiff headwinds, with markets in Europe and Asia, specifically Japan, more vulnerable in the short-term given that those are heavy energy importers, and with those markets having vastly outperformed the US year to date, until the Iran war begun,&quot; wrote Pepperstone&#39;s Michael Brown. &#39;Very small price to pay&#39;Futures for all three main indexes on Wall Street were down more than one percent, while the dollar jumped against its peers as traders sought out its safe haven status. The prospect of interest rates being kept elevated, or even raised to combat inflation, saw gold prices sink more than one percent to around $5,100 an ounce. &quot;The deeper shock is spreading across the production chain,&quot; said SPI Asset Management&#39;s Stephen Innes. &quot;Gulf producers are scaling back output because storage hubs are filling up and export flows are seizing. Qatar has halted liquefaction at key gas facilities, a move that will take weeks to reverse even if the conflict cools tomorrow. &quot;In other words, the market is not dealing with a headline shock. It deals with a physical disruption of oil molecules. &quot;Oil above $100 is not just a commodity rally. It becomes a tax on the global economy.&quot; However, Trump sought to offer reassurance that the spike in crude would not last long. &quot;Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,&quot; he wrote on social media Sunday evening Washington time. &quot;ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!&quot; Michael O&#39;Rourke at JonesTrading warned that the pain for investors could last for some time. &quot;The worst is yet to come in the stock market reaction&quot; he said. &quot;I would expect more of a risk-off mood until we get some tangible positive news.&quot; Compounding the downbeat mood was news Friday that the US economy unexpectedly lost jobs in February, while unemployment edged up. Another report also pointed to a drop in US retail sales. Key figures at around 0815 GMT&nbsp;West Texas Intermediate: UP 13.7 percent at $103.31 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 16.3 percent at $107.83 per barrel Seoul - Kospi: DOWN 6.0 percent at 5,251.87 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 5.2 percent at 52,728.72 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 25,408.46 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 4,096.60 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 1.4% at 10,145.62 Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1560 from $1.1604 on Friday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3343 from $1.3385 Dollar/yen: UP at 158.40 yen from 157.88 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.66 pence from 86.67 pence New York - Dow: DOWN 1.3% at 47,501.55 (close)

Business

Investors, already spooked by concerns over extended tech valuations and the huge spending on AI, ran for the hills as crude rocketed to its highest level since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Equities plunge as energy prices soar on Mideast crisis

ISLAMABAD: A new government cash assistance program is raising hopes among low-income families in several Dhaka slums, with women saying the pilot scheme could ease the burden of buying food, medicine and other essentials, Bangladeshi media reported. Under the initiative, announced by the new Tarique Rahman-led government, &nbsp;at least 40,000 families will receive &ldquo;Family Cards&rdquo; during a four-month pilot phase at a cost of about Tk 390 million. The program is expected to provide Tk 2,500 per month to selected households, with women heading families prioritized for the support. Local media also reported on the Korail slum, where elderly resident Hasen Banu, now over 80, said the news has brought her some relief.&nbsp; Living on rotation between the homes of her three sons and daughter, she said even buying medicine regularly has become difficult at her age.&nbsp; With the monthly assistance, she hopes to purchase medicines consistently and, at times, buy milk, eggs and fruit.&nbsp; She also said she looks forward to being able to treat her grandchildren occasionally. Similar optimism was seen in other settlements, including Sattala, where Shiuli Akter, a 30-year-old single mother of three, said the money would help her buy better food for her children.&nbsp; Shiuli, who works in several households from morning until night to make ends meet, said the prospect of improved meals alone made her happy. Residents and local organisers said the registration process stood out for its transparency.&nbsp; Loudspeaker announcements were made, volunteers and officials went door to door, and applicants received help filling out the six-page forms.&nbsp; Many said it was rare to see a government process in which no money was demanded and no political influence appeared to play a role. Teachers, community workers and Social Welfare Department staff spent days helping applicants complete and correct forms, especially women-led households.&nbsp; The selected pilot areas include Korail, Sattala and Bhashantek under Banani, as well as Oli Miar Tek and Baganbari in Mirpur/Shah Ali. The program is set to be inaugurated on March 10 by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.&nbsp; According to official guidelines, the government ultimately aims to bring twenty million families under monthly cash assistance nationwide.

Bangladesh

A new Family Card pilot will give Tk 2,500 monthly to 40,000 poor families, offering women in Dhaka slums relief for food and medicine despite documentation barriers.

Pilot 'Family Card' cash aid brings hope to women in Dhaka slums

BEIRUT:&nbsp;Human Rights Watch on Monday accused Israel of &quot;unlawfully&quot; using white phosphorus over residential parts of a southern Lebanese town last week. &quot;The Israeli military unlawfully used artillery-fired white phosphorus munitions over homes on March 3, 2026, in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor,&quot; the New York-based rights group said in a report. HRW added that it &quot;verified and geolocated seven images showing airburst white phosphorus munitions being deployed over a residential part of the town and civil defense workers responding to fires in at least two homes and one car in that area&quot;.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DDxQiIA9jKU" title="Fresh strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli warning" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>White phosphorus, a substance that ignites on contact with oxygen, can be used to create smokescreens and to illuminate battlefields. Horrific burns&nbsp;But the munition can also be used as an incendiary weapon and can cause fires, horrific burns, respiratory damage, organ failure and death. Israel -- which kept up strikes targeting Hezbollah despite a 2024 ceasefire -- launched multiple waves of strikes across Lebanon since last week and sent ground troops into border areas. Nearly 400 killed&nbsp;At least 394 people have been killed in Israeli attacks, Lebanese authorities said, registering more than half a million people as displaced.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fzVU2A-ExsQ" title="At least 30,000 displaced in Lebanon by Middle East conflict, UN refugee agency says" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>&quot;The Israeli military&#39;s unlawful use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians,&quot; Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at HRW, was quoted saying in the report. &quot;Israel should immediately halt this practice and states providing Israel with weapons, including white phosphorus munitions, should immediately suspend military assistance and arms sales and push Israel to stop firing such munitions in residential areas,&quot; he added. &lsquo;Phosphorus shelling&rsquo;Lebanese authorities and HRW have over the past years accused Israel of using controversial white phosphorus rounds, in attacks authorities say have harmed civilians and the environment. Lebanon&#39;s state-run National News Agency on Sunday said Israeli forces targeted the towns of Khiam and Tal Nahas, near the border with Israel, &quot;with artillery and phosphorus shelling&quot;. Last month, Lebanon accused Israel of spraying the herbicide glyphosate on the Lebanese side of their shared border, with President Joseph Aoun decrying it as a &quot;crime against the environment&quot;.

Middle East

Says it, ‘verified and geolocated seven images showing airburst white phosphorus munitions being deployed over a residential part of’ a Lebanese town; at least 394 people have been killed in Israeli attacks. 

Israeli forces fired white phosphorus over homes in Lebanon: HRW

ISLAMABAD: Rights group Hindutva Watch flagged on Monday what it described as a celebratory public reception for cow vigilante Monu Manesar after his release on bail in the 2023 Junaid-Nasir double murder case, highlighting fresh concern over the public glorification of an accused in one of India&rsquo;s most contentious vigilante violence cases.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2030798038642446721&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=11c3e4775eb382ba6e9f994d941f719f5f4a7155&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 921px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Monu Manesar, whose real name is Mohit Yadav, was released from Sevar Central Jail in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, after the Rajasthan High Court granted him bail, reported The Quint.&nbsp; He was freed in a bullet-proof vest amid heavy security, with police deployment outside the jail as supporters gathered at the site.&nbsp;The case relates to the killings of Junaid, 35, and Nasir, 27, two Muslim cousins from Rajasthan whose charred bodies were found inside a burned vehicle in Haryana&rsquo;s Bhiwani district in February 2023, Times of India reported.&nbsp; The case was registered on the complaint of a relative at Gopalgarh police station in Deeg district of Rajasthan. An Indian journalist and published author, Ankur Bhardwaj, commented on the news of celebration of Manesar&#39;s release, calling it &quot;sick.&quot;&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2030851624604971494&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=11c3e4775eb382ba6e9f994d941f719f5f4a7155&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 543px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>According to court reporting cited by Indian outlets, Manesar had spent about two and a half years in judicial custody before being granted bail.&nbsp; The Quint reported that the High Court took note of the length of incarceration and the slow pace of trial proceedings.&nbsp; Reports said a large number of prosecution witnesses are still yet to be examined, meaning the trial remains far from conclusion. Following his release, Indian media reported celebratory scenes involving supporters.&nbsp; Bhaskar English reported that Manesar was accompanied by a convoy as he returned to Haryana, while the social media video cited by the user appears to show supporters greeting him enthusiastically after his release.&nbsp; This development comes as part of normalization of vigilante violence in India.

India

Rights group 'Hindutva Watch' on Monday flagged celebrations after Indian cow vigilante Monu Manesar, accused in the 2023 killing of two Muslim men, was released on bail, while the murder case remains pending and his public welcome renewed scrutiny.

Cow vigilante accused of double murder gets hero’s welcome after bail in India

TOKYO: Stock markets in South Korea and Japan fell sharply in early trade on Monday after oil prices soared above $100 per barrel for the first time in almost four years. South Korea&#39;s Kospi was down 6.7% while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo was off around 5.8%, after trading more than 6% lower earlier in the session. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the main US oil benchmark, was trading at $106.80 per barrel, up 17.4%. Brent Crude was up 15.65% at $107.20 per barrel. Both touched levels not seen since the early months of Russia&#39;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. US President Donald Trump dismissed the spike as a &quot;small price to pay&quot; to eliminate Iran&#39;s nuclear threat, reiterating the White House&#39;s insistence that the rise is temporary. &quot;Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,&quot; he wrote on social media Sunday evening Washington time. &quot;ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!&quot; he argued. Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz -- through which 20 percent of global crude and gas passes -- has all but halted since the war began on February 28. Japan, the world&#39;s fourth-largest economy, is also the fifth-biggest importer of crude, with some 95 percent from the Middle East and around 70 percent of passing through the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on March 2 that Japan holds emergency oil reserves equivalent to 254 days of domestic consumption. Kyodo News reported on Friday, citing an unnamed source, that the Japanese government was considering releasing some of its oil reserves. South Korea is the world&#39;s fourth-largest importer of crude. The biggest is China.

South Korea's Kospi down 6.7% while Nikkei 225 in Tokyo off around 5.8%, after trading more than 6% lower earlier in the session; Brent Crude up by 15.65% at $107.20 per barrel.



Asia stocks down sharply as oil hits $100

Web Desk/AFP

The crowds which gathered in Tehran's Enghelab square saw many carrying the Iranian flags and portraits of Mojtaba Khamenei; Putin offers 'unwavering support' to new Iran supreme leader; China says opposes any targeting of new Iran leader. 

Thousands gather in Tehran to pledge allegiance to new leader: AFP journalists

PARIS: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been appointed to succeed his father as the new head of the Islamic Republic. The younger Khamenei was named supreme leader by the top clerical body the Assembly of Experts in a statement published shortly after midnight on Monday in Iran. Other contenders for the top position had included Alireza Arafi, one of the three members of the interim council running the country, hardliner Mohsen Araki, and even Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic republic in 1979. But ultimately the assembly settled on Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, opting for the kind of hereditary transition that his father had rejected on principle in 2024. The Islamic revolution had put an end to a multi-century royal dynasty headed by the shah. Born on September 8, 1969, in the holy city of Mashhad in eastern Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei is one of six children of the late supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was martyred aged 86 just over a week ago in Tehran during the first wave of US-Israeli air strikes that triggered the war in the Middle East. Because of his discretion at official ceremonies and in the media, Mojtaba Khamenei&#39;s true influence has been the subject of intense speculation for years among the Iranian population as well as in diplomatic circles. He is the only child of the former supreme leader to hold a public position, despite having no official post. The cleric, who has a salt-and-pepper beard and the black turban of the &quot;seyyed,&quot; descendants of the Prophet Mohammed, has been presented by some as acting behind the scenes to pull strings at the heart of power in Iran. He is regarded as close to conservatives, notably because of his ties with the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic&#39;s military. That relationship dates back to his service in a combat unit at the end of the war between Iraq and Iran that lasted from 1980 to 1988. Security force links&nbsp;The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019 during President Donald Trump&#39;s first term, saying he represented the supreme leader &quot;despite never being elected or appointed to a government position aside from work in the office of his father.&rdquo; Ali Khamenei had &quot;delegated a part of his leadership responsibilities&quot; to his son, &quot;who worked closely&quot; with Iranian security forces &quot;to advance his father&#39;s destabilizing regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives,&quot; the Treasury said. Opponents have notably accused him of playing a role in the violent crackdown that followed the re-election of ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, which triggered a vast protest movement. According to an investigation by the Bloomberg news organization, which cited anonymous sources and Western intelligence agency reports, Mojtaba Khamenei has amassed wealth estimated at more than $100 million. Money from oil sales had been channeled into investments in luxury British real estate, hotels in Europe and property in Dubai through shell companies in tax havens, according to the investigation. On the religious front, Mojtaba Khamenei studied theology in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, where he also taught. He attained the rank of Hujjat al-Islam, a title given to mid-ranking clerics, below that of Ayatollah held by his father and by revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini. His wife, Zahra Haddad-Adel, daughter of a former speaker of parliament, also died in the US-Israeli strikes that killed the supreme leader, according to Iranian authorities. Israel has issued a stark warning to the new supreme leader and whoever selected him, saying &quot;the hand of the State of Israel will continue to follow any successor and anyone who seeks to appoint a successor.&quot; The Assembly of Experts has 88 members who are elected every eight years. It has only overseen one leadership transition process to date, when Khamenei was selected in 1989 following the death of Khomeini.

Mojtaba's true influence has been the subject of intense speculation for years among the Iranian population as well as in diplomatic circles; he is the only child of the former supreme leader to hold a public position, despite having no official post.


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