Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been appointed as Iran’s new supreme leader, state media reported Sunday, just over a week after his father was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack. The decision by the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for selecting the country’s highest authority, signals a continuation of hard-line theocratic rule and comes as Iran continues strikes against Israel and Gulf states.
The 56-year-old Khamenei, a mid-ranking cleric, has until now operated largely behind the scenes, wielding influence through his close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “Of all the candidates that were position out there, he was the one that was closest to the IRGC. He was also very well-connected in his father’s own office,” Iran specialist Afshon Ostovar told NPR last week, as Khamenei emerged as a likely successor. Ostovar predicted the selection would indicate “the regime wants to preserve as much of the status quo as possible.”
While his father ruled Iran for nearly four decades, marked by staunch opposition to the United States and Israel, Mojtaba Khamenei presents a relative unknown to the public. He has never held a formal government position and rarely appears in public, though he has been seen at loyalist rallies. “He’s kind of an unknown quantity,” Ostovar said. “He’s sort of a guy who you see in pictures, in meetings, that sort of thing, kind of in the background.”
Born in 1969 in Mashhad, northeastern Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei grew up as his father rose as a leading figure in the anti-monarchy revolutionary movement. Following the 1979 revolution, the family moved to Tehran, and the elder Khamenei ascended through the ranks of the new government, eventually becoming supreme leader in 1989. The younger Khamenei graduated from the elite Alavi High School before joining the Revolutionary Guard, serving during the final years of the Iran-Iraq War and forging relationships with future Iranian security officials.
He pursued theological studies in the holy city of Qom, building connections with ultra-conservative clerics and attaining the clerical rank of “hujjat al-Islam,” a rank below “ayatollah.” His marriage to Zahra Haddad Adel, the daughter of prominent hardliner Gholam-Ali Hadad-Adel, a former parliament speaker and close associate of the late supreme leader, further cemented his political ties. Iranian state media reported that Khamenei’s wife, as well as his mother, sister and brother-in-law, were killed in the February 28 strike that killed his father.
For years, Mojtaba Khamenei has been accused of wielding significant behind-the-scenes influence. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him and his father-in-law in 2019, alleging he acted as a representative of the supreme leader without holding an elected or appointed position. The U.S. Government asserted that the elder Khamenei had “delegated a part of his leadership responsibilities to his son” and that the younger Khamenei worked closely with IRGC commanders to advance his father’s regional and domestic objectives.
Allegations of interference in Iranian politics extend to multiple presidential elections. He is believed to have played a role in the rise of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005 and his disputed reelection in 2009, which triggered widespread protests suppressed by security forces. Former parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karroubi accused “the master’s son” of interference in both elections, prompting a rebuke from the elder Khamenei, who defended his son. Karroubi was subsequently placed under house arrest in 2011 and remained there for over 14 years without trial or charges.
The appointment of Khamenei has already drawn criticism. The Israeli military warned on social media that he was a target, and former U.S. President Donald Trump called the decision “a big mistake,” stating last week that Khamenei was “a lightweight.”
Iran’s choice of successor comes as crude oil markets reacted to the regional instability, with prices surging past $100 a barrel on Sunday for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The selection also risks further inflaming domestic tensions, given widespread protests over economic conditions and calls for regime change that preceded the recent outbreak of conflict.
