Is Iran’s new supreme leader Trump's next target?
This Is Why
Sky News
4.0 • 552 Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A "continuity candidate" or the ultimate "nepo baby"?
Iran’s new supreme leader is Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric and son of the previous ayatollah.
Khamenei was once described as "the power behind the robes" in his father's regime - but very little is known about him.
So, who is Mojtaba Khamenei, and how was he chosen? What does his selection mean for the future of the Iranian regime and people?
And with few signs that the war with Israel and the US will abate any time soon, what difference will he make to the outcome of the conflict?
Niall is joined by Dr Louise Kettle, assistant professor of international relations at the University of Nottingham.
Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show – why@sky.uk
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sky News, the full story first. |
| 0:11.5 | Iran has a new supreme leader, Monshtaba Hamini. |
| 0:16.2 | But this doesn't make the country's future any more secure, and this is why. |
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| 1:19.4 | An extraordinary job done by someone like you. |
| 1:27.3 | The desksliate of Bawsdorand, The killing of our own |
| 1:30.3 | the warrants'est of our nation's supreme leader was met with grief and devastation by some. |
| 1:39.3 | Others opposed to his harsh rule celebrated Ali Hamani's death. |
| 1:47.0 | Some even thought his end could mean the end of the Iranian regime, so attention soon turned |
| 1:55.0 | to who might come next. |
| 1:56.0 | I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the |
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