Israel-Iran war day 10: Trump says Mojtaba Khamenei an ‘unacceptable’ choice; Iran ramps up its offensive against Israel, Middle East and more

In the most recent updates from the war that has wreaked havoc across Iran and the Middle East, the Revolutionary Guards announced their swift support for the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was announced on Sunday. It remains to be seen what his first move will be and whether Mojtaba will be able to step into his father’s role. Mojtaba is the son of Iran’s slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who was killed in the first phase of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Several other senior Iranian leaders were also killed. In a statement carried by state media, the assembly said Khamenei had been chosen through what it described as a “decisive vote,” and urged citizens, “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities,” to pledge allegiance to the new leadership of Iran. This move, however, is not likely to sit well with US President Donald Trump, who had already acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei was the most likely successor and made clear that he considered him an “unacceptable” choice. Trump on Sunday said that the new leader “is not going to last long” if Iranians do not get his approval first. “He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump told ABC News. “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.” “I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again or worse let them have a nuclear weapon,” he added. Trump declined to comment directly on Mojtaba’s election, saying, “We’ll see what happens.” Trump also has not yet ruled out sending special forces to seize Iran’s enriched uranium. “Everything is on the table. Everything,” he said. ## Global oil prices surge Iran’s extended attack on the Middle East has sent global oil prices past $100 per barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained $20.34 a barrel and were up $14.83, or 16.31%, at $105.73 as of 2220 GMT. They rose as much as 22.4% to $111.24 earlier in the session. The benchmark contract climbed 12% on Friday and has surged 36% over the past week, Reuters reported. Trump said it is a “very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace.” “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY,” he added. ## ‘Decision will be mutual’, says Trump Trump said that any decision on when to end the war with Iran will be a “mutual” one that he will make together with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Times of Israel reported. “I think it’s mutual… a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,” he said. He added that if he and Netanyahu had not been around, the Islamic Republic would have destroyed Israel. “Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it… We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel,” he told The Times of Israel in a brief telephone interview. ## Middle East under fire The Middle East continues to be under fire as Iran intensifies its attacks. Hours after Iran chose its new supreme leader, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched fresh missile attacks. It also posted a picture of a projectile bearing the slogan: “At Your Service, Sayyid Mojtaba.” In Bahrain, an Iranian drone attack that targeted the island of Sitra left at least 32 people wounded, including four who were seriously injured, the kingdom’s National Communication Centre told CNN. The centre added that the attacks were directed toward residential areas and caused significant damage. Iran also attacked Bahrain’s Al Ma’ameer oil facility, causing a fire at the complex along with material damage. “Outbreak of a fire due to the Iranian aggression targeting a facility in Al Ma’ameer, with material damage reported but no casualties recorded, and the competent authorities have begun firefighting procedures,” Bahrain News Agency said in a post on X. Kuwait’s National Guard reported shooting down a drone Monday “at one of the sites under its protection.” Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said on X that it intercepted a missile attack on Monday morning. The UAE’s Ministry of Defence also announced the interception of missile and drone threats from Iran. The ministry stated that the sounds heard across the country were a result of air defence systems intercepting the projectiles. The Saudi Ministry of Defence said it intercepted and destroyed four drones that were heading toward the Shaybah oilfield, hours after an attack killed two Bangladeshi nationals in the kingdom. The kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Iran’s attacks, calling them “heinous” and a threat to regional security and stability. Saudi Arabia warned that continued Iranian attacks would escalate tensions and harm relations, emphasising that Iran would be the “greatest loser” if it persisted. The Kurdish Rudaw news outlet reported that a drone attack had been intercepted at the international airport in Erbil, Iraq. ## Seventh US service member killed The US Defense Department on Monday said that a seventh US service member has died in the country’s war with Iran. > 🚨 BREAKING: US CENTCOM confirms a 7th American soldier has been kiIIed in Operation Epic Fury Just heartbreaking every single time. The soldier has not yet been identified. Per CENTCOM, “Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian… pic.twitter.com/fQhGrPF5nl — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 8, 2026 🚨 BREAKING: US CENTCOM confirms a 7th American soldier has been kiIIed in Operation Epic Fury Just heartbreaking every single time. The soldier has not yet been identified. Per CENTCOM, “Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian… pic.twitter.com/fQhGrPF5nl — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 8, 2026 “Last night, a US service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East,” US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed in a statement on X. The death comes days after six other US soldiers were killed in a drone strike on a command centre in Kuwait. ## US investigating strike on Iranian school US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said authorities are still investigating a strike that hit an Iranian elementary school and killed at least 168 children, according to state media. His remarks came after new video footage appeared to show a US airstrike hitting a naval base next to the school, adding to evidence that contradicts Donald Trump’s recent claims blaming Iran for the attack. ## G7 to discuss joint release of emergency oil reserves The G7 finance ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss a possible joint release of oil reserves to tackle the surge in prices, the Financial Times reported. The oil reserves are co-ordinated by the International Energy Agency (IEA), with 32 members of the group holding strategic reserves as part of a collective emergency system designed for oil price crises. Three G7 countries, including the US, have so far expressed their support for a possible joint release, according people familiar with the talks. ## Trump tells UK it does not need aircraft carriers US President Donald Trump said the United States does not need Britain’s help to win the war with Iran, accusing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of considering joining the conflict too late. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” The Express Global Desk at The Indian Express delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. 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