Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Son Mojtaba Picked as Iran’s New Supreme leader

Iran's Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader, state media reports. Khamenei, 56, was regarded as exerting influence behind the scenes, and has been accused of having hands in presidential elections, commanding the Basij militia, and maintaining close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Despite reports and speculation about his considerable influence, he has not held any official position in the Islamic Republic. Both his father Ali Khamenei and his predecessor, the founder of the Islamic Republic Ruhollah Khomeini, had criticised hereditary succession in the context of the Pahlavi monarchy, which was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 2019, Mojtaba Khamenei was sanctioned by the United States as part of a group of individuals “who are appointees of or have acted for or on behalf of” Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba Khamenei's name has been mentioned in the past as a possible candidate, but we have to remember that everybody inside Iran whether or not they're in the regime, whether or not they support the regime, is under immense pressure right now. While Mojtaba Khamenei has got the job, he clearly is not going to have the same powerful position as his father who built his influence up over 40 years. His job now might be trying to referee between the different splits within the senior parts of the regime. We’ve heard very different messages coming out from the president and others as well, and this is just another layer of change, uncertainty and difficulty in this war, which in only a week has produced a great deal of all of the above. But from the perspective of the 88 member clerical body that selected Mojtaba Khamenei, it’s a fight for survival. He was known as his father’s gatekeeper so he must have known a great deal of what was going on inside the regime. Mojtaba Khamenei was someone who was essentially in the office, even if he wasn’t in the right chair, he’s now behind the desk.