Mojtaba Khamenei Takes Power in Iran — The Quiet Figure Now Leading the Islamic Republic
Iran’s Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader. The decision came after Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike on February 28, and it places the 56-year-old cleric at the top of Iran’s political and religious system during a period of conflict involving the United States and Israel. Observers say the appointment signals that the Iranian leadership intends to continue the policies associated with the previous leadership.
Mojtaba Khamenei was born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad and is the second son of the former supreme leader. The 88-member Assembly of Experts formally selected him as the Islamic Republic’s new leader on March 8, slightly more than a week after hostilities escalated between Iran, the United States, and Israel. The assembly called on the Iranian public to support the leadership transition and maintain national cohesion.
Mojtaba has often been described as both enigmatic and highly influential within Iran’s political system. Although he has maintained a relatively low public profile, he is widely believed to have maintained close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful military organization that many observers believe holds significant influence within the country.
The announcement of his appointment prompted reactions from political leaders outside Iran. US President Donald Trump previously said appointing Khamenei’s son would be “unacceptable,” adding Iran’s new leader was bound not to “last long” should the appointment not be coordinated with Washington.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight,” US outlet Axios quoted Trump as saying.
Israel’s defense minister also commented on the succession process, stating that whoever replaced Ali Khamenei as supreme leader would be a “target for elimination.”
How Mojtaba Khamenei Built Influence Inside Iran’s Power Structure
Although Mojtaba Khamenei has never held formal public office, he is widely believed to possess substantial influence within Iran’s political hierarchy, particularly through connections with the IRGC. Reports suggest that officials first began noticing his growing role in the country’s internal power dynamics during the mid-1990s, when he was frequently seen alongside IRGC fighters and commanders who had returned from the Iran-Iraq war that lasted from 1980 to 1988.
His name became more widely discussed during Iran’s 2005 presidential election. Some experts have said Mojtaba played a role in helping Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, then a relatively little-known political figure with ties to the IRGC, win the presidency. The outcome of that election reportedly weakened former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani politically, although Rafsanjani did not publicly challenge the situation.
Another presidential candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, did raise concerns at the time. Karroubi wrote an open letter accusing Mojtaba of interfering in the election and contributing to Ahmadinejad’s rise to power.
Similar accusations resurfaced four years later when Ahmadinejad was reelected in 2009. The result sparked widespread protests across Iran. During those demonstrations, some protesters who opposed the idea of Mojtaba succeeding his father as supreme leader chanted “death to Mojtaba.” During the same period, multiple reports suggested Mojtaba played an increasing role in suppressing the protest movement that became known as the “green movement.”
