Iran’s Assembly of Experts has elected [1] Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, according to Iranian state television. (AP News)
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the second-eldest son of Ali Khamenei and was born in Mashhad in 1969.
His early childhood coincided with his father’s rise as a revolutionary figure opposing the monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Ali Khamenei moved from a dissident cleric to a senior government official, holding key posts in the regime including deputy defense minister.
The family later moved from Mashhad to Tehran, where Mojtaba attended Alavi High School, a school known for educating members of Iran’s political and religious elite.
There, he received both general and religious education and graduated in 1987.
In 1989, following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei was appointed supreme leader of Iran.
That same year, Mojtaba began formal clerical studies in Tehran.
During his religious training he studied under his father as well as Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, who later served as Iran’s chief justice.
Over the years, Mojtaba was frequently seen alongside his father and was widely regarded as an influential figure working behind the scenes within Iran’s political system.
Under Iran’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts is responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader.
The body is made up of 88 clerics elected by the public and has the authority to appoint and supervise the leader of the Islamic Republic. (Wikipedia)
Mojtaba Khamenei has previously been the subject of sanctions from the United States. In 2019, the U.S. sanctioned him under Executive Order 13867.
At the time, the U.S. Treasury Department stated that Mojtaba had been “representing the supreme leader in an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position aside from work in the office of his father.”
The Treasury also said that Ali Khamenei had delegated part of his leadership responsibilities to Mojtaba.
According to the Treasury statement, Mojtaba worked closely with commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and the Basij Resistance Force, placing him in a position connected to both domestic and international security affairs.
Mojtaba Khamenei is married to the daughter of former Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel.
Among the sons of Ali Khamenei, he has long been considered the most powerful and politically influential, according to reports.
President Donald Trump addressed reports about Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation during an interview with Axios last week.
When asked about reports suggesting Mojtaba Khamenei was the new supreme leader, Trump said, “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”
Trump also said, “They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela.”