Iran has appointed the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the next Supreme Leader, Iranian media has reported.
Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen by the country's Assembly of Experts under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sources told Iran International.
Despite never holding a formal position within his father's regime, it is widely believed he holds significant influence within the Islamic Republic's political and security spheres.
He was also named by insiders as a potential target for a US strike in the days leading up to the war.
However, he could be faced with a bloody civil war within days after reports emerged that a CIA-backed fighting force within Iran could launch an armed uprising inside the country.
Weapons have allegedly been smuggled into the country since last year's 12-day war to arm thousands of Kurdish volunteers, with the Trump administration said to have engaged in talks with leaders to discuss military support.
The Kurdish people are one of Iran's largest ethnic minorities, with an estimated population between nine and 10 million.
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More than 1,000 dead in Iran since conflict began, human rights group says
More than 1,000 people have been killed across Iran since the conflict began on Saturday morning, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported.
According to the group's preliminary report, at least 1,097 people, including 181 children, have died as of Tuesday afternoon.
It also said that over 5,400 civilians have been injured in the war so far.
White House convenes urgent meeting with defence firms - despite Donald Trump's claim of 'virtually unlimited supply' of weapons
The White House is set to convene an urgent meeting with executives from US defence firms in a bid to ramp up production and replenish American supplies.
"Operation Epic Fury" has so far drawn heavily on munitions, worsening American stockpiles depleted by aiding Ukraine and Israel against Russia and Hamas.
Billions of dollars of artillery systems, ammunition and anti-tank missiles have been used up - while the current conflict in Iran has consumed longer-range missiles than those given to Kyiv.
One source told Reuters the gathering will focus on pressing weapons makers to move faster to boost output.
But just days ago, the President said there was a "virtually unlimited supply" of US munitions - and that "wars can be fought 'forever,' and very successfully, using just these supplies".
REVEALED: Iran hit CIA complex at US embassy site in Saudi Arabia
A CIA complex was damaged in an Iranian attack on the US embassy in Saudi Arabia, US media reports.
Two drones struck the embassy compound in capital Riyadh - though it remains unclear whether the intelligence facility was the strike's intended target.
Parts of the building were damaged and smoke spread inside the complex, prompting staff to shelter in place.
Donald Trump 'does not care' if Iran plays at World Cup
President Donald Trump has declared he "does not care" whether or not Iran takes part in this summer's World Cup being held in North America.
The Islamic Republic's side is due to play against Belgium and New Zealand in Los Angeles, before wrapping up the group stage with a tie against Egypt in Seattle.
He told Politico: "I really don't care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They're running on fumes."
On Monday, the president of the Iranian football federation threatened to pull out of the "inappropriate" competition being held in the US, Canada and Mexico after Washington's "vicious" wave of strikes.
No Iranian ships left in waters around country, US military says
American forces have destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including one submarine, in their bombing campaign so far, the US military has confirmed.
In a video posted to social media, US Central Command's Brad Cooper said: "Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman."
He also revealed the US has hit almost 2,000 targets in Iran since the conflict broke out on Saturday morning.
The Islamic Republic has launched over 2,000 drones and 500 ballistic missiles in retaliatory attacks across the region.
Pentagon names and pictures four US troops killed in Iranian drone strike
LEFT TO RIGHT: Cody Khork, Declan Coady, Nicole Amor and Noah Tietjens
|REUTERS
The Pentagon has named and pictured four of six US troops who were killed in an Iranian drone strike.
- Captain Cody Khork, 35, from Florida;
- Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, 42, from Nebraska;
- Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, 39, from Minnesota;
- Sergeant Declan Coady, 20, from Iowa.
The four all died in an Iranian attack on Port Shuaiba, in Kuwait, on Sunday.
CIA-backed Kurds 'set to launch ground invasion within days'
The CIA is said to be working closely with Kurdish forces to mount an armed uprising inside Iran, sources have told CNN.
Thousands of weapons have allegedly been smuggled into the Middle Eastern country since the end of the 12-day war last year and ground invasion could be underway within days.
The Trump administration is said to have engaged in talks with Kurdish rebels and opposition voices within Iran in recent days.
Thousands of Kurdish fighters have been operating in Western Iran and along the Iraq-Iran border.
Kurds are one of the largest minority groups within the country, with a population estimated between nine to 10 million.
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