Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. (Photo from AGFP News)

MANILA — Iranians Protest Appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader

By Tracy Cabrera

MANILA — Iranians took to the streets in a rare public display of dissent following the designation of Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor to his father, the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint American-Israeli attack on Tehran.

Footage shared on social media Sunday, March 8, 2026, showed demonstrators chanting and praying against Mojtaba’s appointment. In the 17-second clip, reportedly recorded at night from a building window, women’s voices shouted “Death to Mojtaba” in Persian, while distant religious chants could be heard.

Although the video quickly circulated online, media reports could not independently confirm the exact location of the protest or whether similar demonstrations were occurring elsewhere in Tehran.

The Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for selecting Iran’s Supreme Leader, officially named Mojtaba Khamenei as the next in line, sparking immediate backlash from segments of the public who questioned his suitability for the role.

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