Disturbing message written on missile as Iran appoints new supreme leader
56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei is the new supreme leader
Iran is still fighting back against the USA and Israel, with a new supreme leader already appointed in the aftermath of Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion. President Donald Trump has kept a close eye on tensions between Iran and Israel after June 2025's Twelve-Day War wound down, with the Commander-in-Chief continuing to pile on pressure amid calls for Iran to surrender its nuclear program.
February 28 saw strikes on the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah, with the Secretary of the Iranian Defence Council, Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, and the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps among those killed. There was also the headline news that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated while in his office. This led to conflicting scenes of Iranian civilians celebrating in the streets while others gathered in huge crowds to mourn him.
This was just the start of the conflict, with Iran launching its own counterattacks in Israeli and US-allied countries. This included civilian areas in Dubai, ground airports to a halt, and led to reports that an Amazon data center might've been caught in the crossfire.
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While President Donald Trump told CBS News that he thinks the "war is very complete, pretty much," there are concerns after a 'disturbing' message was seen scrawled on the side of a missile.
The Independent reports that the state broadcaster IRIB’s Telegram channel shared footage of a missile that had the following message written on it: "At your service, Sayyid Mojtaba."
Following the death of Ali Khamenei, his son has now stepped up as the next supreme leader.
It's said that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Assembly of Experts have pledged allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei. His appointment and the missile message seem like a non-violent attack on President Trump, who'd already shared his annoyance that he might not be involved in deciding who would take over as Iran's next leader. Ahead of Khamenei's appointment, the POTUS told ABC News: "He’s going to have to get approval from us. If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long.
"We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it."
Trump previously made his feelings on the latest supreme leader clear, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei as an 'unacceptable' choice.
The president has been accused of claiming an early victory, as in the interview where he called the war 'complete', he added: "They have no navy, no communications, they've got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter.
“Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense."
The conflict is still raging on, with Iran's UN ambassador claiming there have now been over 1,332 Iranian civilian casualties and thousands more injured.
Elsewhere, the USA has confirmed that a seventh American has now died as a result of Iran's counterattack.