Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Iranian state-affiliated media and opposition outlets have reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been selected as Iran’s new Supreme Leader following his father’s reported death in recent US-Israeli strikes. The reported appointment comes at a moment of acute regional tension and internal uncertainty within the Islamic Republic.
According to Iran International and other sources, Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was chosen by the Assembly of Experts, the powerful clerical body responsible for appointing and supervising the supreme leader. The decision was reportedly made under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), though Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed the appointment.
Mojtaba, the second son of the late leader, has long been viewed by analysts as an influential behind-the-scenes figure despite lacking formal senior clerical rank or elected political office. Born in 1969 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, he grew up during the revolutionary period that brought the Islamic Republic to power. He later studied in religious seminaries in the Shiite holy city of Qom and served in the Iranian armed forces during the Iran-Iraq war.
His potential succession has been debated for years but remained controversial. Iran’s system of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) traditionally requires the supreme leader to be a senior religious authority with broad political legitimacy. Critics within Iran’s clerical establishment have historically viewed father-to-son succession as problematic, drawing uncomfortable parallels with the hereditary rule of the pre-1979 monarchy.
Before his reported death, Ali Khamenei was said to have opposed the idea of his son succeeding him for precisely that reason. Mojtaba was also notably absent from earlier reported shortlists of senior clerics considered potential successors.
Despite the lack of formal titles, Mojtaba is widely believed to maintain strong ties with the IRGC and the Basij paramilitary force, networks that could bolster his position during a period when much of Iran’s senior military leadership has reportedly been weakened by recent strikes.
He was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 over allegations of supporting the Iranian regime’s regional policies. Various reports have also claimed he oversees significant financial holdings through complex corporate structures abroad, including properties in London, though these claims have not been independently verified.
The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, reportedly convened in Qom to determine succession following the strikes that allegedly killed Ali Khamenei on Saturday. Subsequent Israeli and US attacks were reported to have struck areas near where the assembly met, though there has been no confirmed casualty report related to that incident.
The succession drama unfolds as regional hostilities intensify. Separate air strikes reportedly hit central Tehran’s Ferdowsi Square, with images circulating on social media showing damaged buildings and injured civilians. Iranian officials have not released full casualty figures.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Washington’s military campaign had severely disrupted Iran’s leadership pipeline. In interviews with American media, Trump claimed the strikes eliminated multiple figures the United States believed could succeed Khamenei, though he did not publicly identify them.
Among those reportedly killed in recent days are senior adviser Ali Shamkhani, IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour, and former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to various unverified reports circulating in regional media.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the reported killing of the supreme leader as a “religious crime” and warned of serious consequences, signaling Tehran’s intention to continue retaliatory actions.
Hostilities have already spread beyond Iran’s borders. On Tuesday, a drone strike caused a limited fire near the US Consulate in Dubai, according to local authorities, who said the blaze was quickly contained and no injuries were reported. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the drone appeared to hit a nearby parking area.
The reported elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei if confirmed would mark one of the most consequential leadership transitions in the Islamic Republic’s history and could reshape Iran’s internal power balance at a moment when the country faces mounting military pressure and regional instability.
