Tehran: This time’s big news has come out from Iran. Iran has got its new Supreme Leader. Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei has been elected Supreme Leader of Iran. “The Assembly of Experts has elected Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as the next supreme leader,” Iran International reported, citing reliable sources.
The report, quoting sources, also said that Mojtaba’s election was held under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
It is noteworthy that Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in the joint action of America and Israel against Iran. Since his death, the name of Mojtaba Khamenei was leading in the race for the post of Supreme Leader. Let us tell you that the Supreme Leader of Iran has the final authority on major decisions of the country including war, peace and the country’s controversial nuclear program.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Khamenei. Mojtaba is 56 years old and is a Shia religious leader. He has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, although he has never held elected or formal government office.
Despite not holding the rank of senior religious leader or official position, Mojtaba has always been believed to have considerable behind-the-scenes influence within the system.
An important thing about Mojtaba is that when the Iran-Iraq war broke out, he served in the Iranian armed forces. In 2019, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, saying he officially acted on his father’s behalf even though he was never elected or formally appointed.
Khamenei himself probably did not want this
Surprisingly, Khamenei had left out his son from the short list of potential successors prepared last year. In fact, a major reason behind this was that within Iran’s Shia religious establishment, the transfer of power from father to son is not viewed properly.
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