Trump says he is ‘not happy’ with Khamenei’s son as Iran’s new Supreme Leader as France sends ships to re-open Strait of Hormuz – live updates

US President Donald Trump has told Fox News he is ‘not happy’ about Iran’s decision to select Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader.

When asked what he would do to the Islamic leader, Trump responded: ‘Not going to tell you…Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him.’

Khamenei has previously been branded ‘unacceptable’ by Trump who last week made his feelings clear about the Ayatollah’s son.

Trump said somewhat sarcastically that ‘at some point they’ll be calling me to ask who I’d like’ to replace the Ayatollah.

The president has said he would personally select a new leader and Khamenei’s son was ‘unlikely’ and ‘unacceptable’.

Khamenei, excluded from a list of three senior clerics his father reportedly identified last year, was on Sunday announced as the Ayatollah’s successor after being appointed by the regime’s 88-person assembly.

The leader has strong links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was chosen by Iran’s Assembly of Experts ‘under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards’, according to Iranian media.

The US-Israel war with Iran has entered its tenth day with mayhem continuing across the Middle East since the fighting began last month.

If you’re just joining us, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a plan to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to help oil and gas supplies flow through the passage once again

The US Navy has reportedly attacked an Iranian warship and two other vessels in the Persian Gulf.

Meanwhile, oil prices are surging worldwide as global markets slid today and Donald Trump has declared he and Benjamin Netanyahu will make a ‘mutual’ decision on when to end the war.

Here are the key developments on Monday afternoon.

• France has announced plans to deploy eight warships to the Middle East in a ‘purely defensive’ mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
• An Iranian warship and two other vessels have reportedly been attacked by the US Navy during airstrikes on the port city of Bandar Abbas
• NATO have shot down a second Iranian missile in Turkish airspace
• Oil prices rise to above $100 a barrel for first time in four years as global markets slid at the start of trading
• Donald Trump says he and Benjamin Netanyahu will make ‘mutual’ decision on when to end Iran war
• Vladimir Putin offers ‘unwavering support’ to Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
• Bahrain’s only oil refinery has been struck by an Iranian missile as Tehran targets energy installations across the Gulf
• The UAE confirmed two members of its armed forces were killed in a helicopter crash when the aircraft malfunctioned during the defence against Iranian drones
• Pete Hegseth, the US Defense Secretary, last night guaranteed Iran will ‘surrender’ and President Donald Trump will set the terms of their defeat
• Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was selected by the country’s Assembly of Experts to succeed his father
• Iranian state television has reported Khamenei is ‘wounded’ but did not elaborate on how the injuries were caused
• The US has identified the seventh solider killed during Operation Epic Fury

Donald Trump told CBS News that he believes military action in Iran could be over soon.

‘I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force,’ he said.

The president added that the US is ‘very far’ ahead of schedule.

Tom Brady’s flag football game that was scheduled for Saudi Arabia later this month has been relocated to Los Angeles.

It was slated to be held at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, but was moved due to the ongoing military conflict in Iran and travel advisories.

An Iranian missile has hit an open space in northern Israel, after it was reported around an hour ago that sirens would be sounding in the area.

There are no reports yet of injuries following the strike.

It is the 10th time Israel has been attacked in the last day, according to the Times of Israel.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has heaped praise on Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei after he was appointed the new Supreme Leader of Iran on Sunday.

‘His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq — may God protect and preserve him — sent a cable of congratulations to His Eminence Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the occasion of his selection as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran,’ the official Oman News Agency has reported.

Oman has acted as a mediator between Iran and the US since the conflict broke out, and has emerged as an escape destination for many Brits stuck on holiday in Dubai in recent days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a desire to assist countries – even those in European – with the ever-worsening oil situation as war in the Middle East escalates.

Flow of oil along the Strait of Hormuz has almost ground to a complete halt in the last few days with French President Emmanuel Macron today announcing an ambitious plan to deploy two warships to the waterway in a ‘defensive’ bid to solve the crisis.

The production crash has seen oil prices reach $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

‘[Production] has already started to decline,’ Putin added.

The Russian leader insisted that deals with European countries could only be acceptable if long-term contracts were drawn up and politics was kept out of it.

Most nations in Europe have been attempting to wean themselves off Russian oil in recent years.

The US State Department released a statement on evacuations for Americans in the Middle East.

‘Over 36,000 American citizens have safely returned to the United States from the Middle East since February 28,’ the department said on Monday.

‘Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, the Department of State has completed over two dozen charter flights and has safely evacuated thousands of Americans from the Middle East.

‘While commercial flight availability across the region continues to improve, Department of State charter flight and ground transport operations continue to operate.’

The department added, ‘At this time, seats available on the Department’s charter options are significantly greater than the demand from Americans in the region. Many Americans continue to depart on commercial options.

‘Most Americans who have requested assistance have declined assistance when offered, opting either to remain in country or book commercial flight options.’

Satellite images showed damage to tunnel entrances at the Isfahan missile complex in central Iran after the US and Israel launched attacks to wipe out the Iranian military.

February 27

March 8

America’s top security veterans are warning that Iranian sleeper cells and radicalized sympathizers may be planning retaliation for America’s war on Iran.

As US and Israeli forces pound targets inside Iran, including the operation that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, federal counterterror teams have fanned out across the country, bracing for what could come next.

The grim warnings come as a federal alert to US law enforcement says encrypted transmissions believed to originate in Iran were detected shortly after the killing of Khamenei. The messages were sent as an ‘operational trigger’ for ‘sleeper assets’ according to ABC News. 

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, former DHS senior adviser and Secret Service supervisor Charles Marino said the nation is facing a ‘convergence’ of threats – from Iran-aligned lone wolves to potential sleeper cells.

More air raid sirens are expected to sound around northern Israel in the coming moments amid a new ballistic missile launch from Iran.

An increasing number of regions within Israel have fallen victim to Iranian attacks in recent days

More from the Lebanese President, who has called for a ‘complete ceasefire with a cessation of all Israeli land, air, and sea attacks on Lebanon’.

The country has become a major target for Israeli strikes on Hezbollah bases in recent days with thousands of people said to be displaced and major infrastructure taken out.

President Joseph Aoun has also been calling for support from the international community for his mission to disarm Hezbollah – and he received backing from the Syrian president today.