Trump told the New York Post newspaper on Monday he was “not happy” with the younger Khamenei replacing his father, Ali Khamenei, as leader of the theocracy, but did not say what steps Washington might take.
Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin congratulated the 56-year-old cleric, while Lebanon’s Hezbollah, along with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, army and police, declared loyalty to the new leader.
Yemen’s Houthis also welcomed the choice.
European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said Mojtaba Khamenei was not on the EU sanctions list, which currently covers 247 Iranians and 50 organizations linked to Tehran.
The United States says its main aim in the conflict is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday that about half of Iran’s uranium enriched to 60 percent remained at the underground Isfahan nuclear site, untouched by US-Israeli bombing.
Trump told the New York Post he had not yet decided whether to send US forces to seize Iran’s uranium stockpiles.
Iran, meanwhile, continued retaliatory strikes aimed at Gulf states.
Turkey’s defense ministry said a second Iranian ballistic missile in recent days had been shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces over the eastern Mediterranean.
Iran’s foreign ministry said its armed forces had not attacked Azerbaijan, Turkey or Cyprus.
At the same time, Israel pressed its offensive in Lebanon against the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s health ministry said 486 people had been killed since Israeli air strikes began on March 2, while UNICEF said 700,000 people, including about 200,000 children, had been displaced.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun proposed direct talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to end the attacks.
Oil prices briefly rose above USD 100 a barrel on Monday amid the prolonged conflict and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for Gulf exports, prompting concern across Europe.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France was preparing, with partners, a mission to reopen the strait and escort ships once the most intense phase of the conflict ended.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday there was no reason to fear fuel shortages in Poland.
State fuel giant Orlen told Poland's PAP news agency that crude deliveries to its refineries were arriving on schedule, while its diesel margin had been cut from PLN 0.25 (EUR 0.06) to “almost zero” to limit the impact of surging global fuel prices.
Analyst Marek Rogalski said West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil was trading below USD 100 on Monday afternoon compared with nearly USD 120 in the morning.
Reports of plans by G7 countries to release part of their strategic reserves had supported the correction, he said.
At about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, WTI crude was trading just under USD 95 a barrel, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP, nypost.com