Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is a “tougher version” of his father and, despite Donald Trump’s goals, the war may end with a younger, stronger version of the regime, a journalist said.

Tara Kangarlou, author of The Heartbeat of Iran, said “all factions of Iran’s political apparatus” were “united” behind Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son.

He told Sky News we would likely see images of regime supporters “on the streets” in the coming days despite the airstrikes in Iran.

“Mojtaba Khamenei is a younger, more emboldened and tougher version of his father. He has the full support of the IRGC, the Revolutionary Guard,” Kangarlou said, noting that the IRGC is the force behind the repression of any form of dissent in Iran.

He added that the White House’s reaction to Khamenei’s announcement as the new supreme leader would be important.

Donald Trump, who cited regime change as one of several justifications behind the war against Iran, has only said that he is “unhappy” with his appointment (see previous entry).

“We’ll see how he reacts and whether or not that means Mojtaba is now under threat. Would he be eliminated? What would that entail then? Lots of unknowns.”

He said some of the Iranian population was worried that a “new or younger version” of the regime would remain in power once the war ended.

“In a way we are left with regime 2.0, except this time it is stronger,” Kangarlou said.