Inside the power base "Mojtaba," the leading candidate for Supreme Leader, and "Vahidi," the IRGC commander—hawkish allies directing Iran’s strategy against the U.S. and Israel
Iranian politics is at a critical turning point after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks and assassinations “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei” the Supreme Leader on 28 Feb 2026, along with over 40 military and political leaders amid geopolitical tensions and internal state uncertainty
Questions about the country’s leadership succession have intensified, with the most closely watched figure being “Mojtaba Khamenei” the son of Khamenei, widely predicted to succeed his father, and “Ahmad Vahidi” a senior military officer who has risen as the new leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Iran’s most powerful military force. Both have become key figures expected to shape Iran’s future political direction.
This issue heated up further when Donald Trump, former U.S. President, stated that the U.S. should have a role in determining Iran’s future leadership and signaled non-support for “Mojtaba Khamenei”
“Mojtaba Khamenei” aged 56, is the second son of “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,” the late Supreme Leader who was assassinated. Although he has held no official government position, in Iranian political circles he is viewed as a highly influential figure and “the power behind the throne” within the regime.
Born in 1969 in Mashhad, Iran, he studied religion at the Hawza seminary in Qom, a Shiite religious education center. He currently holds the rank of Ayatollah, a crucial religious qualification for a potential Supreme Leader.
His power network is also linked through elite political families, as he is married to the daughter of Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, a former parliamentary speaker and influential conservative politician.
Though Mojtaba lacks a prominent public policy record like typical politicians, his real influence lies within the state’s security network. A key source of his power ishis close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC), especially the Basij volunteer forces, which are central to domestic control.
Additionally, Mojtaba plays a significant role in administering the Supreme Leader’s office, known as “Beit-e Rahbari,” which is the hub of the leader’s political, security, and economic power networks. It is said that many key state decisions do not happen without his knowledge or approval.
Mojtaba Khamenei has been sanctioned by the U.S. since 2019. Politically, he has been criticized for supporting “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad” winning the presidential elections in 2005 and 2009, which triggered intense conflict with reformist political groups.
Analysts believe he played a major role in directing the suppression of the large Green Movement protests after the 2009 election, which reformists viewed him as a key perpetrator. His name was chanted in protest on the streets. Mostafa Tajzadeh, a senior reformist jailed after the election, claimed that his and his wife’s legal cases were directly manipulated by Mojtaba.
For over a decade, there has been speculation that he would succeed his father. In 2022, he was awarded the title of “Ayatollah,” a senior Shiite Islamic religious rank, and has become a regular presence alongside his father at political meetings, holding influential roles in the Islamic Republic’s broadcasting corporation, a government mouthpiece often criticized for political propaganda, as well as managing his father’s financial empire.
This trend intensified when “Ebrahim Raisi,” the elected president and known favorite of Khamenei, died in a helicopter crash in 2024, increasing attention on Mojtaba as the likely Supreme Leader successor. With another major contender gone, Mojtaba has earned high trust from both the Supreme Leader and military networks. His close political allies include Ahmad Vahidi, the newly appointed IRGC commander, Hossein Taeb, former IRGC intelligence chief, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, current parliamentary speaker.
With deeply embedded power networks in the state structure, many see Mojtaba as the de facto successor to the Khamenei regime and a “hardliner” conservative leader. If chosen by the 88-member Assembly of Experts, it would signal Iran’s intent to maintain its current policy direction.
However, the notion of hereditary succession remains sensitive in Iran, as it may resemble a monarchy—a system the 1979 Islamic Revolution sought to overthrow.
Another closely watched figure is “Ahmad Vahidi,” a senior military officer appointed as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a central power hub in Iran, especially amid rising tensions and military confrontations with the U.S. and Israel.
Vahidi assumed command after several IRGC leaders were killed during escalating conflicts, causing rapid leadership changes. He is among the founding members of the IRGC since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and rapidly advanced through its ranks in the 1980s.
In the mid-1980s, reports indicate Ahmad Vahidi participated in secret contacts between Iranian representatives and intermediaries close to the Reagan administration, connected to the “Iran-Contra” scandal, where the U.S. covertly facilitated arms sales to Iran for use in the Iran-Iraq war, funneling funds to Nicaraguan Contra rebels, in exchange for Iran’s help negotiating with Hezbollah to release American hostages.
Ali Alfoneh, an Iranian expert at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told Al Jazeera that Vahidi has a “deep familiarity” with Israel and the U.S. due to his involvement in those secret talks.
This background means his image is not only that of a hardliner but also a pragmatist who once cooperated covertly with the U.S., Iran’s archrival.
Iranian state media reports he commanded the Quds Force from 1988 to 1997 before handing over to Qassem Soleimani in 1998. Soleimani was later killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020 under President Donald Trump’s orders.
Vahidi’s roles extended beyond the military; he served as defense minister under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government and later as interior minister under Ebrahim Raisi until 2024.
His experience across military, bureaucracy, and politics marks him as a powerful figure in Iran’s power structure. However, Vahidi has also been linked to international allegations.
Interpol issued a “red notice” at Argentina’s request, accusing him of involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. Iran denies these allegations. Additionally, the U.S. and EU sanctioned him for his role in suppressing nationwide protests following the death of “Mahsa Amini,” who was arrested for improper hijab in 2022.
Analysts view the comparison between “Mojtaba Khamenei” and “Ahmad Vahidi” as reflecting Iran’s dual power structure: on one side the religious and familial leadership network dominating politics for decades; on the other the IRGC’s power, which has become a key state mechanism in security, economy, and geopolitics.
Amid war pressures and international sanctions, the state's ability to maintain stability is critical. Whoever becomes Supreme Leader, this transition will likely define Iran's political, security, and global role for decades.
Source:BBC,The Guardian