Overview
- Trump told Axios he has to be involved in the appointment of Iran’s next leader, called Mojtaba Khamenei a “lightweight,” and likened the role he seeks to his claimed influence in Venezuela.
- Iran’s Assembly of Experts is constitutionally tasked with choosing the successor, with signals of a decision soon but no announcement to date, and Iran’s consulate in Mumbai denied reports that Mojtaba had already been selected.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials maintain the U.S. campaign targets Iran’s military, nuclear and naval capabilities rather than regime change, underscoring mixed public messaging.
- The regional war widened as Israel ordered residents to evacuate Beirut’s southern suburbs and UN peacekeepers reported ground combat in southern Lebanon alongside continued cross‑border strikes.
- The conflict spread across sea lanes and Gulf states, with the U.S. Navy sinking an Iranian frigate near Sri Lanka, drone and missile incidents reported from the UAE to Bahrain and Qatar, and warnings of disrupted shipping and rising oil prices.