{"id":8752,"date":"2026-03-05T11:20:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T17:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=8752"},"modified":"2026-03-10T17:29:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T22:29:01","slug":"8752","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2026\/03\/05\/8752\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cGuards push fast Mojtaba Khamenei announcement amid dissent over hereditary rule,\u201d<\/a> Iran International, 3-5-26.\u00a0\u00a0I will include most of this story below because this is a key moment when a new leader is selected (imposed).\u00a0 \u201cIran\u2019s Assembly of Experts is set to hold an emergency session on Thursday to formally announce Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the late Supreme Leader, as the next leader, despite opposition from some members who warn against \u201chereditary leadership.\u201d \u00a0\u2026\u00a0 Two sources from the offices of Assembly of Experts representatives told Iran International that at least eight members will not attend the emergency session on Thursday in protest at what they described as \u201cheavy pressure\u201d from the Revolutionary Guards to impose Mojtaba Khamenei. The first emergency meeting of the clerical body to choose a successor to Ali Khamenei was held on Tuesday, but ended prematurely after Israeli airstrikes targeted the Assembly building in the city of Qom. According to sources, Thursday\u2019s meeting will be held online and managed from a building near the shrine of Fatima Masumeh in Qom. Some representatives and members of the Assembly\u2019s leadership board who live in Qom may attend in person.\u201d Sources told Iran International that a group of opponents contacted the Assembly\u2019s chairman and members of its leadership board on Wednesday, warning that declaring Mojtaba Khamenei leader could raise public concerns about the leadership becoming hereditary and the Islamic Republic resembling a monarchy. \u2026 Another member argued that Mojtaba Khamenei \u201cdoes not have an established, public clerical and jurisprudential standing,\u201d and for that reason his selection as the state’s Supreme Jurist (Vali-ye Faqih) would lack religious legitimacy, the sources added. These representatives called for Mojtaba Khamenei to withdraw and for a new vote to be held at Thursday\u2019s session. Some opponents also signaled that if Mojtaba Khamenei does not withdraw, they may consider the selection process “invalid,” a step that could deepen divisions within the ruling establishment and intensify the Islamic Republic\u2019s legitimacy crisis. After the historic National Assembly building in Tehran \u2013where the clerical body traditionally meets \u2013 was bombed on Monday, the first session to select Ali Khamenei\u2019s successor was held online on Tuesday without public announcement. Information sent to Iran International indicates that from early Tuesday, Revolutionary Guard commanders across different cities pressured Assembly members to vote for Mojtaba Khamenei through in-person meetings and phone calls. Sources said repeated contacts and psychological and political pressure on representatives continued until minutes before the online meeting began, creating what they described as an \u201cunnatural\u201d atmosphere inside the session. The Assembly leadership board insisted the vote be held quickly due to the country\u2019s security situation. Several members opposed to Mojtaba Khamenei were given limited time to present their arguments, but the leadership board moved forward with the vote, cutting short further discussion. \u2026 Sources said that after the vote and shortly before the count was completed, the Assembly building in Qom \u2013 where the online session was being managed \u2013 was struck in Israeli airstrikes and communications were cut. Hours later, members of the Assembly were informed in phone calls that Mojtaba Khamenei had been selected as Supreme Leader by a majority of votes. \u2026 Information received by Iran International also indicates that threatening pressure from the Revolutionary Guards to persuade opposing representatives has continued. According to the sources, Guards commanders have been contacting and lobbying members directly to discourage them from boycotting the meeting or expressing public opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIran targets headquarters of Iranian Kurdish forces in Iraq,\u201d<\/a> BBC, 3-5-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cShipping giant suspends Gulf shipping bookings until further notice,\u201d<\/a> Roya News, 3-5-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cKurds backed by Mossad, CIA could lead next phase of war in Iran,\u201d<\/a> Axios, 3-5-26.<\/p>\n

When I saw the news today calling Sri Lanka \u201cneutral,\u201d I thought \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d\u00a0 For example, see \u201cSri Lanka-Iran Foreign Relations,\u201d<\/a> Critical Threats, 7-6-10.\u00a0 SL and Iran are close.\u00a0 So the following from the NYT I think could be challenged.\u00a0 It\u2019s headline is \u201cSri Lanka Is Caught in the Middle as Second Iranian Vessel Seeks Safe Haven,\u201d<\/a> NYT, 3-5-26, and it\u2019s post-title runner is \u201cA day after rescuing Iranian sailors from the wreckage of a warship sunk by a U.S. submarine, Sri Lanka\u2019s neutrality is being tested.\u201d\u00a0 What neutrality?\u00a0 It later goes on to state, \u201cSri Lanka, which has taken a neutral position on the conflict, \u2026\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s right, a non-neutral, even an ally of Iran, can\u2019t claim to be neutral on the current conflict.\u00a0 Convenient.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cA day after an Iranian ship was torpedoed by the U.S. in the waters near Sri Lanka, the country\u2019s president said his government has allowed a second Iranian ship [the IRINS Bushehr] to dock in one of its ports and allowed its crew into the country.\u201d \u00a0The NYT reports \u201cSri Lanka and Iran have solid political and economic ties. The former bought $250 million worth of crude oil shipments from Iran before sanctions on the Middle Eastern country kicked in over its nuclear program. The two sides agreed to an oil-for-tea\u201d barter deal, which allows Sri Lanka to pay Iran in monthly installments of tea, a top export to Iran.\u201d\u00a0 For the several who have said everyone must follow international law, remember the EEZ where Sri Lanka is not protected like territorial waters.\u00a0 And President Dissanayake has put the second Iranian naval vessel after it unloaded its crew not in territorial waters but in the EEZ.\u00a0 The Iran ship Dena was in Sri Lanka\u2019s EEZ yesterday when a U.S. submarine torpedoed it.\u00a0 I predict since Sri Lanka is harboring (excuse the pun) the sailors and the boat is in the EEZ, it will soon be at the bottom of the EEZ.<\/p>\n

One of the most biased or misleading headlines, by PBS.\u00a0 \u201cIranian warship was sailing home from India exhibition when U.S. sank it,\u201d<\/a> PBS, 3-5-26.\u00a0 What does that make you think?\u00a0 This ship was in a parade in another country, just minding its own business and blowing its horn and displaying flags, before it was ruthlessly attacked?\u00a0 Or here\u2019s another thought you might have, at the other end of the spectrum.\u00a0 It is a warship, returning to the theater of battle\u2014what are its opponent\u2019s supposed to do?\u00a0 They take it out.\u00a0 It was poor decision-making by the captains (both, there are two ships).\u00a0 At the least they should have asked to stay in India.\u00a0 The next step was to surrender to the U.S., their ships might have been spared but their sailors certainly would have.\u00a0 Shouldn’t PBS pick a title like “Captains endanger their crew by returning to war zone” or “Inexperience of Iran Navy on display off Sri Lanka.”<\/p>\n

\u201cExclusive: Trump says he must be involved in picking Iran’s next leader,\u201d<\/a> Politico, 3-5-26.\u00a0 “President Trump told Axios in an interview Thursday that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader \u2014 just as he was in Venezuela. \u2026 Why it matters: Trump acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is the most likely successor \u2014 while making clear he finds that outcome unacceptable. For several days, the Iranian regime has postponed the announcement of the new supreme leader. But statements by Iranian politicians on Thursday suggested an announcement could be imminent. What he’s saying: “They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” Trump said. He added that he refuses to accept a new Iranian leader who would continue Khamenei’s policies, which he said would force the U.S. back to war “in five years.” “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cGuards push fast Mojtaba Khamenei announcement amid dissent over hereditary rule,\u201d Iran International, 3-5-26.\u00a0\u00a0I will include most of this story below because this is a key moment when a new leader is selected (imposed).\u00a0 \u201cIran\u2019s Assembly of Experts is set to hold an emergency session on Thursday to formally announce Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of … <\/p>\n

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