INTERNACIONAL
Iran’s new supreme leader is ‘his father on steroids,’ experts warn of hardline rule
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
«Think of Mojtaba Khamenei as his father on steroids.»
That is how Kasra Aarabi, director of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps research at the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, described Iran’s new supreme leader in comments to Fox News Digital following reports that the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been selected to lead the Islamic Republic.
«Mojtaba was already operating as a ‘mini supreme leader’ in the Bayt-e Rahbari — his father’s office and the core nucleus of power in the regime,» Aarabi said.
IF KHAMENEI FALLS, WHO TAKES IRAN? STRIKES WILL EXPOSE POWER VACUUM — AND THE IRGC’S GRIP
File photo shows Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attending a demonstration to mark Jerusalem day in Tehran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
«His father had created the Bayt’s extensive apparatus as a hidden power structure to ensure continuity should he be eliminated — and through Mojtaba’s appointment, this is exactly what we will get,» Aarabi said.
President Donald Trump also reacted to Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise. In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he was «not happy with» the younger Khamenei replacing his father as leader of Iran’s theocratic system but declined to elaborate on how the United States might respond. «Not going to tell you,» Trump said when asked about his plans regarding the new supreme leader. «Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him.»
An Iranian source with knowledge of the leadership transition told Fox News Digital that earlier speculation Mojtaba might pursue reforms now appears unlikely given the circumstances surrounding his appointment.
«Previously there were whispers suggesting that if Mojtaba were to become the leader, he might introduce reforms that would both open up the domestic political space and bring a more interactive approach to foreign policy,» the source said.
«However, now this possibility seems very weak.»
Mojtaba was chosen «amid disputes, controversies, and pressure from the IRGC,» according to the source, meaning he «owes his appointment to their support and therefore cannot act against their wishes.»
TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S SUCCESSION BENCH WIPED OUT AS ISRAELI STRIKE HITS LEADERSHIP DELIBERATIONS
Military members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in western Tehran, Iran (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Built inside Iran’s security state
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has spent decades building influence inside the power structures surrounding Iran’s supreme leader.
Born in 1969 in Mashhad, he pursued clerical studies in Tehran, Iran, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought his father to prominence. Over time, however, analysts say his influence developed less through traditional clerical authority and more through Iran’s security institutions.
In 2019, the United States sanctioned Mojtaba under Executive Order 13867. The U.S. Treasury Department said he had been «representing the supreme leader in an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position aside from work in the office of his father.»
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran Program, said Mojtaba’s background reflects a broader shift inside the Islamic Republic.
People hold placards with an image of Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei with late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a gathering to support Mojtaba Khamenei, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 9, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) Via Reuters)
«Despite donning a turban, Mojtaba is the product of the regime’s national security deep state,» Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. «Expect him to work with and through the IRGC to keep his hold on power.»
Aarabi said Mojtaba has spent years consolidating influence behind the scenes.
«His past tells us he enjoys micromanaging every aspect of authority to satisfy his thirst for power,» Aarabi said, describing how Mojtaba allegedly relocated IRGC command centers to his office during protests, engineered election outcomes and installed loyalists across state institutions.
Since 2019, Aarabi added, Mojtaba has also been implementing what he described as his father’s effort to «purify» the regime by promoting ideological loyalists across the political system.
«Mojtaba is a deeply antisemitic, anti-American, and anti-Western ideologue,» Aarabi said. «He has personally been involved in repression in Iran and terror plots abroad.»
IRAN’S SENIOR CLERICS ‘EXPOSED’ AFTER BUILDING STRIKE IN QOM, SUCCESSION CHOICE LOOMS
Kashmiri Shiite Muslims carry pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as they march in a protest rally on the fourth day of mourning in Magam, Jammu and Kashmir, on March 4, 2026. (Faisal Khan/Anadolu/Getty Images)
Analysts see harder line ahead
Analysts say Mojtaba’s rise may further strengthen the role of Iran’s security institutions.
«The rise of the younger Khamenei expedites trendlines seen in Iranian politics and national security for years,» Ben Taleblu said. «From one Khamenei to another, things in Iran can be expected to go from bad to worse if this regime survives.»
«And like the elder Khamenei, corruption runs in the family,» he added.
Ben Taleblu warned that the regime may also escalate tensions externally as a survival strategy.
«The regime knows it is weak, but believes it can extract a price and widen a crisis in order to survive,» he said.
For opposition groups inside Iran, the leadership transition signals continuity rather than reform.
«He’s the son of Khamenei and they have same ideology and they same strategy and they try to continue the same policy,» said Khalid Azizi, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran.
«So far it’s very difficult to say what he will be done and is he going to have a different policy? I don’t expect this.»
The Iranian source who spoke with Fox News Digital said that while engagement with the United States and the West is theoretically possible in the future, the chances remain slim.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
On March 1, 2026, in Sana’a, Yemen. pro-Iran protesters brandish billboards depicting the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, flags of Yemen and Iran, weapons, and chant slogans at a rally held to condemn the U.S.-Israel aerial attacks on Iran and the killing of Khamenei and several military officials. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
«As I mentioned,» the source said, «this possibility is very weak.»
«In short,» Aarabi said, «Mojtaba is his father on steroids. He’s certainly no MBS.»
ali khamenei,war with iran,iran,terrorism
INTERNACIONAL
Un funcionario de Trump tuiteó que EE.UU. ya escoltaba buques en el estrecho de Ormuz, borró la publicación y la Casa Blanca tuvo que salir a calmar al mercado del petróleo
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The U.S. consulate in Toronto was struck by gunfire early Tuesday morning in what authorities are calling a «national security incident.»
Deputy Chief Frank Barredo of the Toronto Police Service said two male suspects exited a white Honda CR-V around 4:30 a.m. and discharged firearms at the heavily fortified building before fleeing the scene.
Police said the CR-V was traveling westbound on Dundas Street West before turning southbound onto University Avenue, and stopping in front of the consulate.
Investigators recovered multiple shell casings and found damage to the building’s glass and door.
ENEMY WITHIN: COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERTS FEAR SLEEPER CELLS COULD BE POISED INSIDE USTO
Police release a photo of the suspects’ white Honda CR-V after it was seen on video on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, stopping in front of the U.S. Consulate. (Toronto Police Service)
Barredo said he believes there were people inside the building at the time of the shooting, though no injuries were reported.
Chris Leather, chief superintendent and officer in charge of criminal operations for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ontario, told reporters the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team has been engaged and is working with Toronto police, federal partners and U.S. counterparts, including the FBI.
He said it is too early to determine a motive or whether the shooting will ultimately be classified as terrorism under Canada’s criminal code.
«There will be no tolerance for any form of intimidation, harassment, or harmful targeting of any communities or individuals in Canada,» Leather added.
‘LOUD BANG,’ DAMAGE REPORTED AT US EMBASSY IN NORWAY; POLICE INVESTIGATING
Deputy Chief Frank Barredo speaks during a briefing on a firearm discharge at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on March 10, 2026. (Wa Lone/Reuters)
Security has been increased at the U.S. and Israeli consulates in Toronto and in the Ottawa region as a precaution.
US EMBASSY STRUCK BY DRONES IN SAUDI ARABIA AS AMERICANS INSTRUCTED TO SHELTER IN PLACE
Officials said there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety as the investigation continues.
A State Department official told Fox News Digital the agency is aware of the incident and is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with local law enforcement.
Police officers work at the scene of a shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on March 10, 2026. (Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«The shooting that took place at the U.S. consulate early this morning is an absolutely unacceptable act of violence and intimidation aimed at our American friends and neighbors,» said Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario.
«Everyone at all levels of government and across Canada needs to make clear that there is zero tolerance for this sort of intimidating and dangerous behaviour, and that we will do whatever it takes to prosecute and punish the people responsible to the fullest extent of the law,» he wrote on X.
toronto,canada,police and law enforcement
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
PALM BEACH, Fla. — As Republicans aim to hold their fragile House and Senate majorities in the 2026 midterm elections, they’ve got an ally in the politically potent and deep-pocketed fiscally conservative group Club for Growth.
Framing the midterms, Club for Growth President David McIntosh emphasized in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview on the sidelines of the group’s annual economic conference «what’s at stake» in the midterms.
«It’s the difference between all the great progress, the jobs, the good economy, turning America around,» that McIntosh said President Donald Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill have accomplished over the past year, «versus letting the socialists back in, they’ll shut it all down.»
For a quarter-century, the club has been one of the biggest backers of Republican candidates and causes, as it pushes its pro-growth and limited-government conservative agenda.
SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHIEF REMAINS OPTIMISTIC DESPITE ROUGHER MIDTERM CLIMATE
Club for Growth President David McIntosh speaks at his group’s annual economic conference, in Palm Beach, Florida, March 6, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
McIntosh, in a presentation to major donors to the group, highlighted that the club spent more than $160 million in the GOP primaries and general election during the 2024 election cycle, «and won nearly 80%» of its races.
In 2026, the group aims to raise and spend $175 million in the midterms, and says it’s already brought in $65 million from donors.
The club plans to spend $75 million on Senate races, $55 million on House showdowns, $20 million in ballot box battles for governors, and $20 million — mostly already spent — on issue advocacy in support of Trump’s tax cuts, school choice efforts and the push for congressional redistricting.
CASH SURGE: HOUSE GOP SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORDS AS REPUBLICANS GEAR UP TO DEFEND SLIM MAJORITY
«I think the House is the most vulnerable,» McIntosh said as he pointed to the GOP’s fragile 218–214 majority.
«So we’ve already started raising money for the general. I’ve got a House fund, an ambitious goal of $40 million to help our guys win,» he added as he spotlighted a fund for vulnerable House Republican incumbents.
As the party in power, Republicans are facing traditional political headwinds which usually result in the loss of congressional seats in the midterms. And Democrats are energized, thanks to a slew of ballot box victories and overperformances in off-year and special elections in the 14 months since Trump returned to the White House, as they stay laser focused on affordability amid persistent inflation.
But the GOP also is dealing with a low propensity midterms issue that it didn’t have to worry about before Trump upended the political order: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot.
«We’ve got to get the folks who voted for President Trump,» McIntosh said. «They don’t necessarily come out in the midterms. We have to share with them what’s at stake.»
«We’re going to work with President Trump on that so they know he wants them to vote,» he said. «He wants them to come out. He needs them so he can keep going.»
President Donald Trump speaks on inflation at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
McIntosh said the Club will highlight that «Republicans have a plan that will help make things more affordable. It will keep cutting taxes. They will see the benefits.»
«But the bigger message is going to be, you can’t let the Democrats back in, because they’ll shut everything down,» he claimed. «It’ll be back to the Biden days, high inflation, higher taxes, fewer jobs. That’s what’s at stake, and our job is to tell the voters, we need you to vote because it makes all the difference.»
The economy, and specifically inflation, was a key issue that boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories in 2024. But affordability boosted Democrats at the ballot box in 2025 and so far in 2026.
STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING
And with oil and gas prices surging since the start of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran a week and a half ago, Republicans face more potential political headaches.
But McIntosh predicted that «by the end of the year, we’re going to be back to a robust economy because the Trump tax cuts are going to kick in. People will keep more of their money. There’s a huge incentive for companies to build factories back here in America again, and that will kick in. People will say, ‘Yeah, I like the direction we’re going. Things are turned around. We can’t let the Democrats ruin that.’»
Most Democrats obviously disagree with the political narrative coming from the club.
And the Democratic National Committee has long criticized the group for its «extreme positions on banning abortion and cutting Social Security and Medicare.»
While the club is ramping up for the general election showdowns, it’s already playing in this year’s GOP primaries.
Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, who is running for the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, is one of three major candidates in a competitive and combustible GOP primary. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In the battle for the Senate, the club recently made a major endorsement, backing Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, who’s involved in an ugly three-way fist fight for the Republican nomination in the race to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the southeastern swing state.
«We’re definitely going to be there in Georgia to help Mike Collins win,» McIntosh pledged.
FORMER NAVY SEAL TOPPLED IN REPUBLICAN HOUSE PRIMARY IN TEXAS
The club enjoyed a major victory March 3, as the candidate it was backing, Texas state Rep. Steve Toth, toppled high-profile incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL officer, in the GOP primary for a Houston-area congressional seat.
Texas state Rep. Steve Toth, left, who was backed by the Club for Growth, toppled incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw in a Houston-area congressional district, in the early March Republican primaries in Texas. (Getty Images)
But in this case, the club kept quiet its efforts to support Toth, as it put its funding in an aligned startup PAC.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
McIntosh said he «knew if Club for Growth came in guns blazing, then the Washington money would come in to help Crenshaw.»
«We don’t need the glory. We don’t need to take credit for it,» McIntosh said. And pointing to Tosh, he added, «He did the job, but we were able to bring the funds in that let the voters know what their choice was.»
donald trump,republicans elections,midterm elections,fund raising,campaigning,politics
Supermercados Carrefour, Jumbo y ChangoMás liquidan televisores con rebajas de hasta 48%
Real Madrid-Manchester City será el duelo destacado de la jornada de octavos de final en la Champions League: la agenda completa
Los chats que revelan vínculos entre Pablo Toviggino y la empresa que compró la mansión de Pilar
El Gobierno sancionará a FATE por no pagar los salarios de los trabajadores: de cuánto será la multa
Ubisoft ha encontrado "el mayor medio interactivo del mundo" con su último juego y quizá pueda resucitar a otro proyecto en el limbo
Un funcionario de Trump tuiteó que EE.UU. ya escoltaba buques en el estrecho de Ormuz, borró la publicación y la Casa Blanca tuvo que salir a calmar al mercado del petróleo
La cruda confesión de Amalia Granata por el trastorno que sufre su hijo Roque: “Le hicimos estudios y salió que tiene TDAH, dislexia y disgrafia”
El mercado le está corriendo el arco a Caputo y el riesgo país no baja: en la City palpitan medidas
Jenny Mavinga angustiada tras una quemadura en Gran Hermano 2026: “¡Ay, me quemó!
Trump anunciará la creación del Escudo de las Américas, una alianza regional que integrará Milei para enfrentar al narcoterrorismo y a China
CHIMENTOS3 días agoLa cruda confesión de Amalia Granata por el trastorno que sufre su hijo Roque: “Le hicimos estudios y salió que tiene TDAH, dislexia y disgrafia”
- ECONOMIA3 días ago
El mercado le está corriendo el arco a Caputo y el riesgo país no baja: en la City palpitan medidas
- CHIMENTOS2 días ago
Jenny Mavinga angustiada tras una quemadura en Gran Hermano 2026: “¡Ay, me quemó!
