The Rise of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s New Supreme Leader
Iran has officially announced that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will be the country’s next supreme leader. This decision was made by the 88-member Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics responsible for selecting the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. Mojtaba, who is 56 years old, has long been seen as a potential candidate for the position, even though he never held an official government role.
As the new supreme leader, Mojtaba will hold significant power over Iran’s military and judiciary. He will serve as the commander-in-chief of the regime’s armed forces, appoint leaders of all military branches, and choose the head of the judiciary. Additionally, the powerful paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will also report directly to him, giving him ultimate authority over the nation’s war strategies.
The IRGC has already expressed its loyalty to Mojtaba, stating in a statement: “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is ready for complete obedience and self-sacrifice in carrying out the divine commands of the Guardian Jurist of the time, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.”
Mojtaba is expected to continue his father’s hardline policies, including support for Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. This contrasts with his father, who had issued a fatwa against the acquisition and use of nuclear weapons.
A Historic Transition of Power
Since the Islamic Revolution almost half a century ago, there has only been one other transfer of power in the office of the supreme leader. Mojtaba, however, is a relatively secretive figure who has not been seen publicly for days. Now, he stands at the center of Iran’s theocracy and will have the final say on all matters of state.
Like his father, Mojtaba is a cleric, but unlike his father, he is not known for public addresses or sermons. This means his voice is unfamiliar to many Iranians.
Inside Iran’s religious and military establishment, there was growing urgency to appoint a new supreme leader after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, the country has been overseen by a three-member leadership council, which included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Pezeshkian faced backlash for his comments, particularly after he controversially apologized to other countries in the region for bombing raids against them. He also promised neighboring nations they would be spared from drone and missile attacks if they did not allow Israel and the US to use their airbases for bombing raids against Iran. However, this statement was swiftly contradicted by hardline clerics and senior military personnel, who carried out further raids across the Gulf within hours.
International Reactions and Concerns
The selection of Mojtaba Khamenei has drawn attention from international leaders. US President Donald Trump has criticized the choice, stating, “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.” Trump also mentioned that he wants a say in who comes to power once the war is over, saying, “A new leader is not going to last long without my approval.”
Similarly, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to assassinate any Iranian leader chosen to succeed the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a post on X, he stated: “Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel’s destruction, threatening the United States, the free world, and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people, will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides.”
Background and Wealth of Mojtaba Khamenei
Ali Khamenei, who was 86, had secretly named three potential successors before his death, none of whom was his son, according to reports. These individuals included Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of the judiciary, his chief of staff Ali Asghar Hejazi, and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Iran’s first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.
Mojtaba is the second son of Ali Khamenei and has an older brother, Mostafa, who is also a cleric.
According to a classified briefing sent by the State Department to the US Embassy in London in 2008, and later released by WikiLeaks, “Mojtaba works in his father’s shadow,” but traveled with him in Iran and had a “fair degree of control over access to his father.” The diplomatic note added that he was “widely viewed within the regime as a capable and forceful leader and manager who may someday succeed to at least a share of national leadership.”
Mojtaba was born in Mashhad in 1969 and served in the Iran-Iraq war. He later became one of the wealthiest people in Iran, with huge wealth stored in banks in the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Venezuela, and Africa, along with around $300 million in gold and diamonds, and Swiss bank accounts.
In January, he was reported to have moved $328 million to Dubai using cryptocurrency. Much of his wealth reportedly came from taxes on oil sold to China and India.
His global investments include two luxury apartments in London worth a combined £50 million on a street known as ‘Billionaire’s Row.’ In Iran, he is said to own a section of the upmarket Abbas Abad neighborhood in north-central Tehran, and vast swathes of land near the city of Mashhad. He also reportedly has a private jet, a helicopter for urgent trips, a fleet of Mercedes vehicles, and horses.
