Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new Supreme Leader signals continuity to international community

12/03/2026 11:06 France 24

Amid the political uncertainty surrounding Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr Anahita Motazed Rad, Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics. As the Islamic Republic navigates a moment of acute pressure, the elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei serves an important political function, explains Dr Motazed Rad. By maintaining him as the formal leader, the regime sends a message to both domestic elites and the international community that institutional cohesion remains intact during a time of war.

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Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has 'very good links with the IRGC'

Jean-Emile Jammine is pleased to welcome Dr H. A. Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defence and International Security Studies in London. The succession process currently unfolding in Iran must be understood within the extraordinary context of wartim...

12/03/2026 12:22 France 24

Washington tracking if Iran has activated 'sleeper cells' on US soil

As the US-Israeli war against Iran escalates, fears are rising that covert agents lying low in Western countries could be activated to retaliate. US President Donald Trump said his administration is "on top" of the possibility of Iranian cells operating inside the United States, but has offered few...

12/03/2026 11:09 France 24

Middle East war: Oil tankers set ablaze in the Gulf in latest Iranian attacks

Two #oil tankers were hit by Iranian explosives off the coast of #Iraq, as Tehran continues its blockade on the region. The attacks follow strikes in the Strait of #Hormuz, bringing up the number of #ships hit in the strategic passage point to at least 16....

12/03/2026 11:05 France 24

On the ground: Iran attacks Gulf infrastructures

Dubai reported a drone attack and fallen debris in two locations on Thursday while Kuwait's airport was damaged in yet another strike on the facility during Iran's Gulf campaign in the Middle East war. Iran has taken aim at US assets and civilian infrastructure around the Gulf in retaliation for US...

12/03/2026 10:59 France 24

Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s attacks on shipping worsen economic concerns

The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120. Oil prices shot more than 9% higher as supply concerns worsened with Iranian attacks on commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz. The latest attacks...

12/03/2026 10:44 France 24

IEA announces record oil stockpile release over Iran supply disruptions

The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of oil from strategic stockpiles to combat a spike in global crude prices since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, with the US contributing the bulk of the supply....

12/03/2026 10:43 France 24

War in the Middle East: Iran attacks Gulf energy targets

Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Gulf energy targets on Thursday. The renewed drone and missile attacks against Iran's Gulf neighbours and Israel followed a warning from Tehran that it could wage a prolonged war that would "destroy" the world economy. FRANCE 24's Rochelle Ferguson Bouyah...

12/03/2026 10:41 France 24

Software on the front line: How a Florida tech firm is playing a key role in Iran war

The use of AI to facilitate attacks in Iran has ushered in a new era of tactics. Palantir, the US data analytics company has taken on a major role in war technology. FRANCE 24’s Simon Moritz and Jules Boiteau take a look at its origins and how it's used....

12/03/2026 10:38 France 24

Humanitarian crisis in Lebanon: Displaced families face despair

A new violent escalation in Lebanon – but in reality, the war that began in 2023 never truly stopped. According to the United Nations, the ceasefire signed in November 2024 between Hezbollah and Israel has been violated more than 14,000 times by Israel. Then, in late February, Iran’s supreme l...

12/03/2026 10:28 France 24

US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy', expert says

FRANCE 24’s François Picard is joined by Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Lund University in Sweden. According to Parsi, the current political situation in Iran should be approached with caution, as too much attention is being paid to the potential rise of Mojtaba Khamenei. The Isla...

12/03/2026 07:50 France 24

'European Union needs a bit of a revolution: There is no European strategy or foreign policy'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Sophie in 't Veld, former Dutch MEP and member of Volt Europa. She argues that the EU faces a profound structural crisis in its capacity to act on the global stage. What appears as policy debate is, in practice, an internal academic discussion with little con...

12/03/2026 07:35 France 24

China approves 'ethnic unity' law condemned by rights groups

China approved what it called an "ethnic unity" law on Thursday, which rights advocates warn could further marginalise minority groups such as the Uyghurs....

12/03/2026 06:01 France 24

Middle East war live: Israel to expand operations in Lebanon, threatens to 'take territory'

Israel's military has been instructed to expand its operations ‌in Lebanon, Defence Minister Israel ‌Katz said on Thursday, after Hezbollah fired a heavy barrage of ‌rockets at Israel overnight. Katz also warned Lebanon to stop the strikes or Israel "will take territory". Follow our liveblog...

12/03/2026 03:41 France 24

US war on Iran: Using military force to achieve political outcomes rarely produces lasting stability

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and International Security at the University of Portsmouth. For Mr. Townley, the most striking feature of the current US operation against Iran is the gap between clear military action and ambiguous political strategy...

11/03/2026 21:54 France 24

Iran may tap into organised crime to carry out terror attacks, expert says

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Graig Klein, Assistant Professor in Terrorism and Political Violence at Leiden University in The Hague, explains that Iran may tap into organised crime in order to carry out terror attacks in Europe in retaliation for the war waged by the US and Israel, adding t...

11/03/2026 20:47 France 24

A world war? Iran war draws in more than regional rivals

One war can fuel another. After the United States and Israel launched an operation that began, on day one, with the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Donald Trump expressed surprise at Tehran’s decision to draw in Gulf oil producers and disrupt global supplies....

11/03/2026 19:11 France 24

‘I left everything for my grandchildren’: In Beirut, displaced families exhausted by endless war

More than 700,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Lebanon since the country was dragged back into war with Israel on March 2. FRANCE 24’s reporter met with displaced families who have found refuge in Beirut’s overwhelmed emergency shelters, and others who have no choice but t...

11/03/2026 18:39 France 24

'US war on Iran tactically very successful: Strategic success is going to be elusive'

Genie Godula welcomes Daniel Schneiderman, Director of Global Policy Programs at Penn Washington. He argues that while the US has achieved significant tactical military successes in its campaign against Iran, the battlefield gains do not necessarily translate into victory. Washington’s stated obj...

11/03/2026 17:23 France 24

'US war on Iran tactically very successful: Strategic success will be 'elusive', warns Schneiderman

11/03/2026 17:23 France 24

G7 releases record amount of oil stocks to 'calm the markets down'

G7 leaders have announced the record release of 400 million barrels of oil in response to the war in the Middle East. This represents about twenty days worth of usual oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, currently through dangerous to go through due to the threat of Iranian strikes. This initi...

11/03/2026 16:38 France 24

Beirut: FRANCE 24 in the heart of the bombed southern suburbs

Our special correspondents in Beirut were able to visit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, which have been under Israeli bombardments for a week.At least 500 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the war in the Middle East and some 700,000 others have been forced to flee,...

11/03/2026 16:28 France 24

Trump a lot more concern about how war and oil prices will affect midterms

Since the war has started, fourteen ships have been hit in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran vows to carry out an 'oil blockade'. Although oil prices have gone down after sharply increasing, concern remains. French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on G7 leaders to work together to reestablish 'free...

11/03/2026 15:54 France 24

Strait of Hormuz traffic down 97% as fourteen ships struck since war started

A British monitoring agency says three ships in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz were struck in separate incidents on March 11, a day after several US media reported Iran had started laying mines in the strategic passagepoint. The UN meanwhile has urged...

11/03/2026 15:52 France 24

Centre of Beirut shocked after Israeli army strikes apartment block

Over 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon amid intense Israeli strikes, with nearly 600 having died since the start of the war. Although the capital has mostly been spared, it has suffered two strikes in its heart. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris Trent speaks from where the latest bomb struck...

11/03/2026 15:50 France 24

IEA to release record amount of emergency oil reserves as Middle East war rattles markets

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said its 32 members would release a record 400 million barrels from strategic reserves to steady markets as the Middle East war continue to push oil prices higher and threaten global supply....

11/03/2026 15:46 France 24

UK deploys warship in the Mediterranean to protect British bases in Cyprus

A British warship is on its way to Cyprus. More than a week ago, a British Royal Air Force base was hit by an Iranian-made drone. The opposition criticizes the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer for taking too long to send reinforcements. The country's minist...

11/03/2026 15:08 France 24

Israeli government is undertaking a 'power grab under cover of war'

Twelve days after the start of the US-Israeli military campaign, Israelis are spending hours a day in bomb shelters as Iranian bombs pour on the country. But since the start of the conflict, neither the Prime minister nor the Defence minister have directly addressed the Israeli population. On top o...

11/03/2026 15:06 France 24

FRANCE 24 speaks to displaced Lebanese in mountains north of Beirut

An Israeli strike hit an apartment block in the heart of Beirut. it is the second time Israel has targeted the heart of the Lebanese capital since the war started. The southern suburbs of Beirut and south Lebanon have come under a regular intense Israeli attack with more than 500 killed and around...

11/03/2026 15:01 France 24

Iran's new supreme leader 'safe and sound' amid rumours surrounding wellbeing

Iranian officials on Wednesday said new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was injured but safe after the strike that killed his father Ali Khamenei during the war with US and Israel after rumours regarding his wellbeing....

11/03/2026 14:51 France 24

Lebanon grapples with death, displacement and widening Hezbollah-Israel conflict

With 570 people killed and more than 750,000 displaced amid fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon finds itself in what Iva Kovic-Chahine, head of the Beirut-based news outlet L’Orient Today, describes as an “absurd” situation. She tells FRANCE 24 that many Lebanese felt “intense ra...

11/03/2026 14:09 France 24

BREAKING NEWS

12/03 12:24 - Weather warnings issued as colder weather and mountain snow forecast 12/03 12:22 - Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has 'very good links with the IRGC' 12/03 12:21 - Iran escalates attacks on infrastructure and transport networks across the Gulf | First Thing 12/03 12:18 - AI scams drove UK reports of fraud to record 444,000 last year 12/03 12:11 - Iran war reality check: Why the US miscalculated Tehran’s political resilience 12/03 12:10 - Shell CEO’s pay jumps 60% despite slump in profits at oil company 12/03 12:04 - How Iran war laid bare the world's reliance on Gulf oil and gas 12/03 12:00 - Colon cancer now leading cause of cancer deaths under 50 in US 12/03 11:43 - Oil price tops $100 again as Iran strikes economic targets across Middle East 12/03 11:43 - Republicans add to pressure on Senate majority leader after Trump voter ID bill call – US politics live 12/03 11:09 - Washington tracking if Iran has activated 'sleeper cells' on US soil 12/03 11:09 - The war of signals: How Russia and China help Iran see the battlefield 12/03 11:09 - The war of signals: How Russia and China help Iran see the battlefield 12/03 11:06 - Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new Supreme Leader signals continuity to international community 12/03 11:05 - Middle East war: Oil tankers set ablaze in the Gulf in latest Iranian attacks 12/03 11:02 - Ground Down by War, Hezbollah’s Loyal Base Shows Cracks 12/03 10:59 - On the ground: Iran attacks Gulf infrastructures 12/03 10:54 - Pete Hegseth’s Rhetoric of Violence 12/03 10:44 - Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s attacks on shipping worsen economic concerns 12/03 10:43 - IEA announces record oil stockpile release over Iran supply disruptions 12/03 10:41 - War in the Middle East: Iran attacks Gulf energy targets 12/03 10:38 - Software on the front line: How a Florida tech firm is playing a key role in Iran war 12/03 10:32 - How the Iran war may affect your money and bills 12/03 10:30 - Minister defends PM's handling of Mandelson appointment 12/03 10:28 - Humanitarian crisis in Lebanon: Displaced families face despair 12/03 10:23 - Ukraine strikes Russian electronics plant that builds missile components 12/03 10:20 - What role has cyber warfare played in Iran? 12/03 10:15 - Trump says Iran war is ‘very complete, pretty much’ as economic toll rises | First Thing 12/03 10:12 - We attacked Iran with no clear plan for regime change, Israeli security sources say 12/03 10:07 - 'Fingers on the trigger': Deadly warnings for Iranians being urged to take action 12/03 10:06 - Dismay as ancient heritage sites across Iran damaged in US-Israel bombing 12/03 10:00 - The $11 Billion Cost for One Week of War, and a New ‘Millionaires’ Tax’ 12/03 10:00 - ‘America’s mortal enemy’: Pete Hegseth expressed extreme antipathy toward Iran for years 12/03 09:03 - War in Ukraine spills into Hungarian election campaign 12/03 09:03 - How Hegseth Came to See Moral Purpose in War as Weakness 12/03 09:02 - ‘I’m Flabbergasted by the Relentless Pessimism’: 3 Opinion Writers on Iran 12/03 09:02 - How Russia’s Scorched-Earth Attacks Put Ukraine’s Power Grid Near Collapse 12/03 09:00 - News24 | Trump administration spent $11.3bn in first few days of Iran war, may ask for more cash 12/03 08:33 - ‘We know where he lives, where he sleeps’: Ex-Ukrainian general threatens Orban 12/03 08:33 - Hungary’s Orbán claims Ukrainians ‘threatened’ his family as election campaign ramps up 12/03 08:30 - Iran war: What is happening on day 13 of US-Israel attacks? 12/03 08:30 - Iran war: What is happening on day 13 of US-Israel attacks? 12/03 08:12 - France walks ‘fine line’ as US-Israel war on Iran escalates 12/03 08:12 - France walks ‘fine line’ as US-Israel war on Iran escalates 12/03 08:09 - Analysis: The war on Iran is at a crossroads 12/03 08:09 - Analysis: The war on Iran is at a crossroads 12/03 07:53 - ‘A US military victory in Iran without a political one is not a victory’ 12/03 07:53 - ‘A US military victory in Iran without a political one is not a victory’ 12/03 07:50 - US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy', expert says 12/03 07:42 - In the US-Israeli war on Iran, who will run out of missiles first? 12/03 07:42 - In the US-Israeli war on Iran, who will run out of missiles first? 12/03 07:35 - 'European Union needs a bit of a revolution: There is no European strategy or foreign policy' 12/03 07:35 - FBI warns of ‘Iranian drone threat’ to California 12/03 07:13 - Trump admin estimates US war on Iran cost $11.3bn in first 6 days: Report 12/03 07:13 - Trump admin estimates US war on Iran cost $11.3bn in first 6 days: Report 12/03 07:00 - ‘I have never seen anything like it’: MP warns of rise in extreme views on race and identity 12/03 06:57 - Thursday briefing: What an Iran negotiator thinks could happen next – and why Trump still has an off-ramp 12/03 06:19 - More airlines hike flight prices as Iran war continues to disrupt oil supply 12/03 06:04 - Jimmy Kimmel Addresses the Notion of a Drone Strike on California 12/03 06:01 - China approves 'ethnic unity' law condemned by rights groups 12/03 06:00 - Gordon Brown calls for international criminal court for crimes against children 12/03 06:00 - ‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts 12/03 06:00 - Proposed law change will protect abusive men who push women to suicide, campaigners warn 12/03 05:49 - The Papers: 'Starmer did ignore Epstein warnings' and 'Record oil release' 12/03 05:08 - Middle East crisis live: Iran steps up attacks on ports, tankers and oil terminals in campaign to disrupt energy markets 12/03 05:00 - European drivers face €220 a year jump in fuel costs due to Iran conflict, say experts 12/03 05:00 - MPs launch student loans inquiry amid ‘perfect storm’ for young people in UK 12/03 04:35 - There is only one person’ who can decide to end the war on Iran 12/03 04:35 - There is only one person’ who can decide to end the war on Iran 12/03 03:43 - How is feminism being used to justify war in Iran? 12/03 03:43 - How is feminism being used to justify war in Iran? 12/03 03:41 - Middle East war live: Israel to expand operations in Lebanon, threatens to 'take territory' 12/03 03:40 - Asia scrambles to confront energy crisis unleashed by Iran war – with no end in sight 12/03 02:02 - Trump puts pressure on Senate majority leader – as it happened 12/03 01:39 - Nations agree to release oil reserves as war in Iran hits global economy 12/03 01:35 - Iran’s authorities warn against protests as Israel threatens Basij forces 12/03 01:35 - Iran’s authorities warn against protests as Israel threatens Basij forces 12/03 00:35 - Qatar PM urges resilience and unity amid Iran strikes 12/03 00:35 - Qatar PM urges resilience and unity amid Iran strikes 12/03 00:10 - Israel bombards Beirut suburbs and southern Lebanon as conflict with Hezbollah escalates 12/03 00:05 - Is Iran facing the ‘Yugoslav scenario’? 12/03 00:00 - Iran war live: Iraq shuts down oil port operations; Israel bombs Beirut 12/03 00:00 - Iran war live: Iraq shuts down oil port operations; Israel bombs Beirut 11/03 23:14 - New files show British PM warned of ‘reputational risks’ with Mandelson 11/03 23:14 - New files show British PM warned of ‘reputational risks’ with Mandelson 11/03 23:02 - Iran escalates attacks on infrastructure and transport networks across the Gulf 11/03 22:43 - Iran confirms new supreme leader injured but recovering as IEA’s record oil release fails to curb global prices (VIDEOS, PHOTOS) 11/03 22:32 - Starmer Was Warned of Mandelson’s Ties to Epstein Ahead of Ambassador Pick 11/03 22:04 - US intelligence sees direct attacks by Iran on oil tankers as greater risk than mines 11/03 21:54 - US war on Iran: Using military force to achieve political outcomes rarely produces lasting stability 11/03 21:48 - The war on Iran could remake the world 11/03 21:10 - Ecuador prepares for attack on ‘criminal economy’ with Trump backing 11/03 21:10 - Ecuador prepares for attack on ‘criminal economy’ with Trump backing 11/03 20:49 - First Week of Iran War Cost More Than $11 Billion, Pentagon Tells Congress 11/03 20:47 - Iran may tap into organised crime to carry out terror attacks, expert says 11/03 20:41 - Why does Iran war pose more dilemmas for Europe? 11/03 20:41 - Why does Iran war pose more dilemmas for Europe? 11/03 20:23 - Australia news live: NSW anti-slavery commissioner questions handling of Iranian football squad’s departure; earthquake felt north of Canberra 11/03 19:53 - Starmer overruled warning of ‘reputational risk’ over Mandelson appointment, files show 11/03 19:50 - Starmer’s national security adviser expressed concern about Mandelson appointment, documents show - as it happened