Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the second son of Ali Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic for 36 years and was killed on February 28 in the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.

The decision was made by a vote by the Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 Islamic clerics tasked with choosing the new supreme leader.

“The Assembly of Experts, with an overwhelming majority of votes, introduced Ayatollah Haj Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the third leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Tehran Times reported.

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posing a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East. 

Ali Khamenei was assassinated along with his daughter, son-in-law and grandchild in the February 28 strike. Khamenei’s wife died from her injuries days later.