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Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly been chosen arsenic Iran’s adjacent Supreme Leader, authorities media reported connected Sunday (March 8, 2026)
The announcement by the Iran’s Assembly of Experts came conscionable implicit a week aft his begetter Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s decease connected February 28, 2026 in associated strikes by Israel and the U.S.
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The 56-year-old mid-ranking cleric, who has survived the U.S.-Israeli aerial warfare on Iran, was named arsenic the successor aft the assembly had much oregon little reached a “majority consensus”. Assembly of Experts subordinate Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, said successful a video connected Sunday (March 8, 2026) that a campaigner had been selected based connected Khamenei’s guidance that Iran’s apical person should beryllium “hated by the enemy”.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei is the 2nd lad of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh. He was calved connected September 6, 1969, successful Mashhad, a large Shia spiritual centre successful northeastern Iran. He has 5 siblings — 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
Childhood amidst father’s revolution
Mr. Mojtaba spent astir of his puerility amid his father’s progressive absorption against the Shah of Iran’s monarchy, which yet led to the predetermination of Ali Khamenei arsenic the country's Supreme Leader and the workout of important governmental and subject power.
With his begetter repeatedly being arrested by SAVAK(the Shah’s secret police), overmuch of Mr. Mojtaba’s puerility was spent successful predominant raids and turmoil.
After the 1979 revolution, the household moved to Tehran, wherever Mr. Mojtaba attended the prestigious Alavi High School.
He besides studied nether spiritual conservatives successful the seminaries of Qom, Iran’s halfway of Shi’ite theological learning, and has the clerical fertile of Hojjatoleslam.
Military life
Mr. Mojtaba joined the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soon aft completing his acquisition and reportedly formed lifelong ties with comrades who aboriginal went connected to clasp precocious posts successful the Iranian subject establishment.
He besides served successful the Habib Battalion during the last years of the Iraq-Israel warfare of 1987-88.
Shadow power
Mr. Mojtaba is not considered a large person successful the Iranian constitution oregon a high-ranking spiritual scholar. He has ne'er been elected and holds nary ceremonial authorities post. He has appeared astatine loyalist rallies, but has seldom spoken successful public. However, helium is wide believed to person managed the Office of the Supreme Leader and has been reportedly “gatekeeping” it owed to his heavy ties with the IRGC and the Intelligence services.
He has besides opposed reformers seeking to prosecute with the West as it tries to curb Iran’s atomic programme.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions connected Mr. Mojtaba successful 2019, saying helium represented the ultimate person successful “an authoritative capableness contempt ne'er being elected oregon appointed to a authorities position” speech from moving successful his father’s office.
Its website said Khamenei had antecedently delegated immoderate of his responsibilities to Mr. Mojtaba, who it said had worked intimately with the commandant of the IRGC’s Quds Force and the Basij, a spiritual militia affiliated with the Guards, “to beforehand his father’s destabilising determination ambitions and oppressive home objectives”.
What does his succession mean for Iran?
The enactment of Mr. Mojtaba is historical due to the fact that Iran’s constitution has agelong rejected the thought of hereditary succession from begetter to son. This is besides viewed arsenic unfavourable by Shiite clerics. Thus, his assignment volition beryllium a departure from accepted governmental and spiritual norms.
Mr. Mojtaba was a peculiar people for disapproval by protesters during unrest implicit the decease of a young pistillate successful constabulary custody successful 2022, aft she was arrested for allegedly breaching the Islamic Republic’s strict formal codes.
In 2024, a video was wide shared successful which helium announced the suspension of Islamic jurisprudence classes helium was teaching astatine Qom, fuelling speculation astir the reasons.
He was wide believed to person been down the abrupt emergence of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was elected president successful 2005. He besides backed Ahmadinejad successful 2009 erstwhile helium won a 2nd word successful a disputed predetermination which resulted successful anti-government protests that were violently suppressed by the Basij and different information forces.
Mr. Mojtaba’s assignment arsenic the Supreme Leader volition mean a continuation of the precocious Ali Khamenei’s legacy, successful a motion that hardliners were inactive firmly successful charge.
With inputs from Reuters
