ISTANBUL

Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Wednesday hailed the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader, hoping he will be succesfull "in serving the great Iranian nation."

"It is hoped that" Mojtaba Khamenei "will be successful and supportive in serving the great Iranian nation, warding off the evil of ill-wishers, and preserving national unity and cohesion," Sistani said in a statement.

Mojtaba was declared earlier this week the successor of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike last month.

Regional escalation has flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran since Feb. 28 that has so far killed over 1,200 people and injured over 10,000 others, according to Iranian authorities.

Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.