Tehran, Iran. Iran’s Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei as successor to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian media reported, indicating hardliners remain in charge. The selection was reported more than a week after Ali Khamenei was killed in an air strike.
Selection announced by clerical body
Iranian media said the clerical body named the 56-year-old mid-ranking cleric, who has survived the U.S.-Israeli air war on Iran, as the successor.
Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, a member of the council, said in a video on Sunday that a candidate had been selected based on Ali Khamenei’s guidance that Iran’s top leader should be “hated by the enemy”.
“Even the Great Satan (U.S.) has mentioned his name,” Heidari Alekasir said, days after U.S. President Donald Trump said Mojtaba was an “unacceptable” choice for him.
Power base and ties to security forces
Mojtaba Khamenei amassed power under his father as a senior figure close to the security forces and the vast business empire they control. He has opposed reformers seeking to engage with the West as it tries to curb Iran’s nuclear programme.
Sources familiar with the matter said his close ties with the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) give him added leverage across Iran’s political and security apparatus and that he built up influence behind the scenes as his father’s “gatekeeper”.
“He has strong constituency and support within the IRGC, in particular amongst the younger radical generations,” said Kasra Aarabi, head of researching the IRGC at United Against Nuclear Iran, a U.S.-based policy organisation.
Role of the supreme leader and nuclear issue
The supreme leader has the final say on matters of state, including foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme. Western powers want to prevent Tehran developing nuclear arms, while Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.
Potential domestic opposition and background
Mojtaba Khamenei could face opposition from Iranians who have shown they are ready to stage mass protests to press their demands for greater freedoms, despite bloody crackdowns by the authorities.
He was born in 1969 in the holy Shi’ite city of Mashhad and grew up as his father was helping lead the opposition to the Shah. As a young man, he served in the Iran-Iraq war.
What impact do you think Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection could have on Iran’s domestic politics and foreign policy?
