MOJTABA KHAMENEI IS NOW SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN AND HIS FIRST ACT WAS TO ORDER MISSILES FIRED AT ISRAEL AND THE GULF

The succession is no longer a question.

Shortly after midnight on March 9, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB confirmed what had been expected for days: Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran's new supreme leader. The Assembly of Experts, Iran's 88-member clerical body responsible for selecting the top leader, made the decision.

Within hours, Iran's president, the Revolutionary Guards, and the armed forces pledged full allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Al Jazeera.

Then came the missiles.

THE FIRST STRIKES UNDER THE NEW LEADER

IRIB posted a photo on Telegram showing a projectile with the words "At Your Command, Sayyid Mojtaba." The caption read: "Iran fires first wave of missiles under the leadership of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei toward occupied territories."

Missiles and drones were launched not only toward Israel but across the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq all reported incoming projectiles overnight, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

In Bahrain, an Iranian drone attack wounded 32 civilians, four of them seriously, including children, according to Bahrain's Health Ministry. Witnesses later reported thick smoke rising from the direction of Bahrain's Bapco oil refinery, which had already been damaged by Iranian missiles four days earlier, according to Reuters.

Explosions rocked the Qatari capital, Doha. The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning that continued Iranian attacks would have "serious impact" on relations "now and in the future," condemning what it called "blatant Iranian attacks against a number of Arab countries and the resulting targeting of civilians, vital facilities, and diplomatic missions."

Israel said one woman was moderately injured in the missile barrage before the all-clear was given.

ISRAEL KILLS QUDS FORCE COMMANDERS IN BEIRUT

Hours before the new leader's appointment, the Israeli military announced it had carried out a strike on a hotel room in Beirut's Raouche district, killing several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.

According to sources cited by Saudi-owned Al Hadath and reported by Iran International, five Iranian members of the Quds Force's Lebanon branch were killed, including the branch's financial officer, intelligence officer, and senior operatives handling Lebanon and Palestine operations.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported four fatalities and ten injuries. The Israeli military said the commanders were "operating to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians."

THE SCHOOL, THE CHILDREN, THE INVESTIGATION

One of the gravest reported incidents on Day 10 involved an elementary school in Iran.

Iranian state media reported that a strike on a school killed at least 168 children. CNN reported that the incident is now under US investigation, with video footage suggesting that a US airstrike targeting a nearby naval base may have caused the casualties. No official confirmation or denial has been issued by the US military as of this writing.

This figure remains unverified by independent organizations. As required by MCT's reporting standards, the source of this casualty claim is Iranian state media.

THE NUMBERS SO FAR

According to Iran's health ministry, cited by Al Jazeera, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on February 28.

The broader toll, as compiled from multiple wire services and government statements: 1,332 dead in Iran, 339 in Lebanon, 11 in Israel, 7 US military personnel, 3 in the UAE, 2 in Iraq, 2 in Saudi Arabia, and 1 across Oman and Bahrain, according to figures attributed to the respective governments and media outlets.

OIL AT $115 AND THE PHILIPPINE PRICE TAG

Oil prices eclipsed $115 per barrel on Monday, according to the Associated Press. That is the highest level since the 2022 surge following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

For the Philippines, which imports nearly 90 percent of its oil from the Middle East, every dollar added to the barrel price translates directly to the pump. Diesel at most Philippine stations is set to rise by P17 to P24 per liter starting Tuesday, March 10, in staggered hikes confirmed by Energy Secretary Sharon Garin.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world's oil transits, remains effectively shut to commercial shipping. Reuters reported that tanker crossings dropped to zero by midweek. Lloyd's List reported traffic down 81 percent, with just one crude oil tanker crossing on March 1 and no LNG carriers at all. War risk insurance for the region expired on March 5, and no new tankers have been willing to enter the Middle East Gulf, according to Lloyd's List.

President Donald Trump called the oil price surge a "small price to pay" to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat. The US State Department ordered nonessential diplomatic personnel and families at the embassy in Riyadh to leave Saudi Arabia, according to the New York Times.