DUBAI/JERUSALEM – Iran’s hardliners staged a show of force on Monday, taking to the streets to proclaim their loyalty to new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, whose rise appeared to dash hopes of a swift end to war in the Middle East causing havoc on global markets.
The prospect that one of the most severe disruptions ever to hit global energy supplies could last longer than previously expected sent oil prices surging in record leaps and stock markets into a nosedive.
Khamenei, 56, a Shi’ite cleric with a power base among the security forces and their vast business empire, has been declared unacceptable by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender.
Iranian state media showed large crowds in several cities rallying behind the new leader, waving Iranian flags and holding portraits of his father Ali Khamenei, killed by strikes on the war’s first day.
In Isfahan, state TV reported the sound of nearby explosions from apparent airstrikes as loyalists gathered in the historic Imam Square, chanting “God is the Greatest” below a stage with portraits of Ali and Mojtaba Khamenei. In Tehran, a eulogist could be heard singing: “Either death or Khamenei, our blood leads to paradise.”
Politicians and institutions issued pledges of loyalty to the new supreme leader, whose wife, son and mother also died at the start of the U.S.-Israeli air onslaught according to Iranian state media.
“We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop of our blood,” a defence council statement said.
Iranians reached by telephone were divided, with supporters of the authorities hailing the choice as a declaration of defiance and opponents fearful it would dash their hopes for change.
“I am so happy that he is our new leader. It was a slap in the face to our enemies that thought the system will collapse with the killing of his father. Our late leader’s path will continue,” said university student Zahra Mirbagheri, 21, from Tehran.
