Iran in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
Iran's politics in March 2026 were dominated by the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the war with the United States and Israel. Iran confirmed on 1 March that Khamenei had died; China described his reported killing in US-Israeli strikes as unacceptable. Iranian officials denied early reports that his son Mojtaba was the leading candidate to succeed him, but on 8 March Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader. Russia's President Vladimir Putin congratulated him. His first statement on 12 March, released without a public appearance, vowed revenge and demanded compensation from the US and Israel. President Donald Trump said he wanted a say in choosing the next leader.
The second theme was the Strait of Hormuz. From 14 March Trump called on allied nations to send warships, and on 16 and 17 March the EU, the UK and France declined; Trump criticised NATO allies for refusing. Iran said the strait was closed only to its enemies. On 22 March Trump gave Iran 48 hours to reopen it, threatening its power plants. Iran threatened Gulf energy and water infrastructure in reply.
Diplomacy ran alongside the threats. Trump demanded unconditional surrender in early March, then said the war would end very soon. On 23 March he delayed strikes on Iranian energy sites, citing weekend talks; Iran's foreign ministry said there had been no direct or indirect talks. On 25 March Iran rejected a US 15-point ceasefire plan and presented five conditions of its own. Pakistan offered to host talks. Trump extended his pause on energy strikes and delayed them into April; by 31 March reports said he was willing to end the war even if the strait stayed closed.
Elsewhere, Iran confirmed the death of security chief Ali Larijani in an Israeli strike on 17 March and appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr to replace him. The US Senate and House rejected measures to limit Trump's war powers. Spain, Italy and Germany declined to join the strikes, and the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding Iran end attacks on Gulf states.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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