A panel of clerics in Iran has selected a son of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to succeed him in leading the country. Trump has called the appointment “unacceptable” saying he “won’t last long”, as Israel earmark him as a potential target.

Iran's ayatollah is at the heart of the complex power-sharing Islamic Republic and has final say over all matters of state. There has been only one other transfer of power in the office, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died at age 86.