Iran’s Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, was due to select a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday in a U.S.-Israeli strike. Iran’s opposition said the new supreme spiritual and political leader of Iran is Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, the late leader’s son. According to information carried by Iran International, Mojtaba’s selection was made under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Manoto News reported that one member of the Assembly of Experts sent Mojtaba an official condolence message describing him as a “well-rounded jurist” who meets the criteria for leadership.
The report said Ali Khamenei had served as Iran’s supreme leader for nearly 37 years. The article described Mojtaba as a long-time intermediary between his father and the state’s security structures, and as a figure linked to the IRGC and the Basij. It also said the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019. The stated rationale was his cooperation with his father in maintaining Iran’s system of power and involvement in actions destabilising the region. The publication did not cite an official Iranian government statement confirming the appointment of a new supreme leader.
