Thousands of Iranians rallied in Tehran on Monday to pledge allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after he was selected as the country's new supreme leader.
Iran's Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body which is empowered to appoint, supervise, and discharge the supreme leader, announced Mojtaba Khamenei's selection as the country's third supreme leader on Sunday. The 56-year-old succeeds his father who was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb 28.
On Monday afternoon, crowds gathered at Enghelab Square, a traditional focal point for major political gatherings in the capital, to voice their support for the new leader.
Many waved Iranian flags and held aloft pictures of the newly-appointed Khamenei and his late father.
"Excellent, absolutely excellent. This is one of the best decisions made since the revolution. It is a source of pride for all Muslims and Iranians," said Reza, a supporter.
"Just as we have supported Ali Khamenei until now and obeyed him, from now on we will also carry out the orders of the new leader," said Zahra, another supporter.
"We are here to pledge allegiance to the new leader. We are very happy that Mojtaba Khamenei has been chosen," said Artemis, another at the rally.
"The whole world was surprised by this choice, and it is a strong blow to the Zionists and global arrogance," said local resident Yaser, who also brought along his child to the gathering.
It came as U.S.-Israeli strikes continue to pound Tehran and other areas of Iran. Much of the city has been shrouded in thick black smoke after oil depots in surrounding areas were targeted, raising concerns over the impact of pollution and the disruption to fuel supplies.
Since the U.S. and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran on Feb 28, Iran has responded with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the region, hitting many countries in the Gulf.
Thousands of Iranians rally in Tehran in show of support towards new supreme leader
Thousands of Iranians rally in Tehran in show of support towards new supreme leader
China's latest high-speed train model has reached 450 kilometers per hour in test runs, pushing the frontier of the country's high-end manufacturing and further underpinning its strategy of promoting industrial upgrading through technological innovation.
The CR450 high-speed train, China's newest-generation high-speed train, has completed half of its road tests, marking a milestone for the country's railway industry and reflecting closer integration between manufacturing and research, according to a leading railway scientist.
"Extensive work has been carried out on the CR450 project since 2025, and significant progress has been made. So far, the train has completed about 300,000 kilometers of testing, with more than half of the evaluation process already finished," said Zhao Hongwei, a chief researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences.
Developed entirely with independent intellectual property rights, the CR450 also demonstrates stronger resilience in China's industrial supply chains. The project is boosting related sectors such as machinery, metallurgy, electronics and chemicals, as key components are now produced domestically.
"A high-speed train is a highly complex piece of engineering equipment. We estimate it contains more than 40,000 components, along with multiple control systems. These parts come from many different sectors, supported by an entire industrial ecosystem. So projects like this naturally drive the development of the broader industrial chain," said Zhao.
The train also offers a glimpse of the direction China's manufacturing sector is heading for, as the government has pledged during this year's" two sessions" to promote the full integration between technological and industrial innovation.
Speaking at the Ministers' Corridor during the annual meetings, Li Lecheng, China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, emphasized the need to translate scientific breakthroughs into tangible industrial progress.
"We will follow the principle that industry sets the questions and technology provides the answers. A new round of initiatives will upgrade key manufacturing supply chains, drive breakthroughs across the entire chain, and speed up their conversion into new quality productive forces," said Li.
China’s new high-speed train unveils ambition to bridge technology, manufacturing
