“At a meeting in the Oval Office last week, a frustrated Mr. Trump pressed Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about why the United States could not immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz.” https://t.co/m4XVNnUN3w pic.twitter.com/Xr6UYIpKVl
— Alex Ward (@alexbward) March 15, 2026
Day: March 15, 2026
Earlier this month, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei – the second son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – was elected as Iran’s new supreme leader. At that time, reports mentioned that the decision was allegedly taken under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
US intelligence reportedly briefed President Donald Trump and a small group of his close advisors that Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei had reservations about his son succeeding him.
According to a report by CBS News, the former leader was ‘wary’ of his son assuming power as he was perceived as ‘not very bright’ and was aware that Mojtaba Khamenei ‘had issues in his personal life’. He was viewed as ‘unqualified to be a leader,’ reported the outlet – citing sources aware of the intelligence input.
Earlier this month, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei – the second son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – was elected as the country’s new supreme leader. At that time, a report by Iran International mentioned that the decision was allegedly taken under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Ayatollah Khamenei was killed during US-Israel’s joint strikes on Iran, which were launched on Saturday, 28 February. Hours later, the same day – Iran retaliated — with exposions reported across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, among other Middle East hubs, which are also home to US military bases.
How did Trump react to the input?
Trump reportedly told people close to him that he is unsure about whether the intelligence input about Mojtaba Khamenei matters. The POTUS believes Iran is essentially leaderless right now, with the younger Khamenei possibly dead, reported CBS News.
On Friday, US State Department
‘Leadership gone…’
Trump had publicly suggested that Iran’s late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, had little confidence in his son as a potential leader.
“Their leadership is gone. Their second leadership is gone. Now their third leadership is in trouble, and this is not somebody that the father even wanted,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Friday.
Trump also described the new supreme leader as a “lightweight” and said such a figure would be an “unacceptable” leader for Iran. He further suggested that he would like some level of oversight over who eventually becomes Iran’s next leader.
On Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and “likely disfigured”. Although he did not provide evidence for Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition but criticised the absence of a video or audio statement, calling it “a weak” communication
The post Did Khamenei doubt son Mojtaba as successor? ‘Unqualified, not very bright’: US intel briefed Trump appeared first on azeritimes.com.
The post Did Khamenei doubt son Mojtaba as successor? ‘Unqualified, not very bright’: US intel briefed Trump first appeared on The South Caucasus News – SouthCaucasusNews.com.
Iranian police are increasingly cracking down on individuals who film, document, and post footage and photos of impacts of Israeli and U.S. strikes.
Video
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) Mar 15, 2026
India’s upGrad acquires Unacademy in all-stock deal reut.rs/4bmOBnx reut.rs/4bmOBnx
— Reuters (@Reuters) Mar 15, 2026
For decades, Lebanese politicians survived by lying to everyone at once. Now, the country is facing a choice it can no longer defer: confront Hezbollah, or watch Israel do it for them — and then stay, writes @faysalitani for @newlinesmag. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/in…
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) Mar 15, 2026