Outlets from Israel and the Middle East have reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly appointed Supreme Leader of Iran, has been injured in recent airstrikes.Unconfirmed reports suggest that Khamenei has had a leg amputated and is in a delirious state; however, official confirmation of this from either side has not come through as of the time of writing.The Iranian government had announced that the son of the former Ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, had been appointed as the new supreme leader of Iran on the weekend.Khamenei was elected by the Assembly of Experts, the group of religious leaders and clerics who are responsible for appointing the leader of Iran.Despite this, Trump said that the new supreme leader will not "last long" and has floated the idea that he wouldn't be against a new leader being from the Khamenei regime, just so long as he is able to have a say in who it is..Meanwhile, the United States' 82nd Airborne Division has been put on high alert as recent movements from the American administration suggest that ground deployment of American troops may be imminent.The 82nd was due to participate in a major training exercise at Fort Bragg, but their participation was abruptly cancelled, leading to speculation that the US may be preparing troops to be sent to the front lines.The cancellation of such a large training exercise amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East is certainly odd, and neither the United States nor Israel has ruled out deploying ground forces. So far seven American soldiers have died in the conflict with Iran..Five members of the Iranian women's soccer team, who were in Australia taking part in the Asian Cup soccer tournament, have defected with the help of Australian police after their final match in the tournament, before they were set to return to Iran.The team gained notoriety after they refused to sing the Iranian national anthem before their opening match in the tournament, seemingly in an act of protest.In Iran this action was met with calls of treason, and, as stated in an article from The Athletic, a TV presenter had said, "Let me just say one thing: traitors during wartime must be dealt with more severely; anyone who takes a step against the country under war conditions must be dealt with more severely," in response to the action of the players.Comments like this, as well as the treatment of women by the Iranian regime, may have made some of the players feel like if they returned to Iran, they would face punishment.US President Donald Trump has said that the women will be granted asylum in the United States..The ongoing situation in the Middle East and the blockade of the vital trade chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz have resulted in the continued skyrocketing price of oil.At the time of writing, the price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for Canadian oil, sits at around $95.The price of oil has risen by almost $30 a barrel since the start of the conflict with Iran.This surge in oil prices has also resulted in tension between the United States and Israel, with the US president reportedly upset at the scale and destruction caused by Israeli strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure.According to Axios, the United States administration was upset by the strikes as they thought the strikes would not help in fueling a popular revolt against the Iranian regime and would further embolden the Iranian population against the US and Israel.There were also concerns about strikes such as this increasing the price of gas for Americans filling up their cars, a move that may make the war even more unpopular than it already is."The president doesn't like the attack. He wants to save the oil. He doesn't want to burn it. And it reminds people of higher gas prices," an unnamed Trump advisor reportedly told Axios.
