Multiple media outlets report that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, has been selected as the country’s new Supreme Leader, but there has been no official confirmation from Iranian authorities.
The New York Post cited a disclosure from Iran International, an Iranian opposition media outlet, reporting that Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, the second son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen by the Assembly of Experts as the new Supreme Leader.
This report has been widely picked up by Israeli media. However, pro-government Iranian media have not confirmed the accuracy of this information.
Earlier reports said Mojtaba was among 40 senior military and close associates killed in a Saturday attack that also killed Iran’s Supreme Religious Leader, but later Iranian media confirmed that Mojtaba is still alive.
This appointment comes amid ongoing questions over who will succeed Ali Khamenei, the leader who built a cult of personality and ruled Iran with an iron fist, enforcing fiercely anti-Western policies for decades.
CNN reported that Mojtaba is known for his staunch ultraconservative views following in his father’s footsteps and maintains close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), known for its brutality.
Although he held no official government role under his father’s administration, he was sanctioned by the United States in 2019.
This appointment is considered unexpected, as Iran has traditionally opposed hereditary succession at the leadership level, especially since the current regime came to power by overthrowing the monarchy during the 1979 revolution.
Since Ali Khamenei’s death, Iran has been governed by a “Leadership Council” consisting of three members: Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, Vice Chairman of the Assembly of Experts; Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s President; and Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, Head of the Judiciary.
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Source:nypost