On Monday, Iran witnessed large-scale gatherings in the capital, Tehran, and several other cities to pledge allegiance (Bay'ah) to the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei. His selection as the successor to the late Imam Seyed Ali Khamenei was formalized by the Assembly of Experts.
The central ceremony commenced at Revolution Square in central Tehran, where thousands of participants congregated, raising Iranian flags and portraits of Seyed Mojtaba while chanting slogans in support of continuing the path of the Revolution. Similar supportive rallies and marches were reported in other cities, including Shiraz and Bushehr.
These pledges of allegiance occur against the backdrop of an escalating war that began on February 28th, following what is described as an American-Israeli aggression against Iran. The initial days of this conflict resulted in the martyrdom of Imam Seyed Ali Khamenei, a number of military commanders, and hundreds of civilians.
The sizable crowds are widely interpreted as a message affirming domestic front cohesion and popular mobilization around the new leadership during the ongoing military confrontation. At an official level, Iran's principal state institutions—including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Armed Forces, and security agencies—publicly declared their allegiance to Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei and their commitment to operating under his command.
The appointment has also been welcomed by regional allies. Yemen's Ansar Allah movement and several Iraqi armed factions, including the Badr Organization, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, and the Hezbollah Brigades, expressed their support for the new leadership, viewing it as a continuation of the policy backing the so-called "Axis of Resistance."
On the international stage, expressions of support for Iran have come from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese leadership, who emphasized their rejection of external interference in Iran's internal affairs. Conversely, threats from the United States and Israel have intensified. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian leadership not approved by him "will not last long," while Israel indicated that any successor to the late Seyed Ali Khamenei could be a potential target should hostilities continue.