Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as the new leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Known for maintaining a low public profile, he is widely seen as a figure who will continue his father’s hardline political and ideological approach.
At 56, he did not hold any formal government position during his father’s tenure. Nevertheless, there were long-standing claims that he exercised considerable influence behind the scenes, playing a quiet but important role within Iran’s political power structure.
He is believed to have strong connections with conservative factions, particularly through his relationship with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which quickly declared its loyalty to him following the announcement of his leadership.
Soon after his appointment, Iran’s third supreme leader also received public backing from President Masoud Pezeshkian, as well as endorsements from the country’s armed forces and the judiciary.
His limited public appearances and avoidance of media attention have for years fueled debate about the extent of his authority. Both ordinary Iranians and foreign diplomats have long speculated about the role he may have played within the country’s leadership circles.
The decision to appoint him as supreme leader was made by Iran’s top clerical authority, the Assembly of Experts, which issued an official statement shortly after midnight on Monday (2030 GMT Sunday).
Although the Iranian Revolution ended centuries of monarchical rule under the shah, the council ultimately endorsed a leadership transition resembling a hereditary succession an idea that Ali Khamenei had publicly rejected on principle in 2024.
Born on September 8, 1969, in the religious city of Mashhad in eastern Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei is the only one among the late supreme leader’s six children to occupy a public leadership role.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died at the age of 86 during the first wave of coordinated air strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on Tehran, an attack that ignited the wider conflict in the Middle East on February 28.