Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei, selected as Iran's new supreme leader

CAIRO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei, was selected as Iran's new supreme leader, Iran's Assembly of Experts announced on Sunday.

In a statement, the assembly confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei's election as the country's third supreme leader, citing "the decisive vote of the respected representatives" of the assembly.

"In today's extraordinary session, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei ... is appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement said.

Mojtaba Khamenei, born in 1969, is the son of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

The United States and Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, killing Ali Khamenei, along with some of the leader's family members, Iran's senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded through several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the Middle East.