Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader, replacing his father Ali Khamenei, a succession that follows years in which the younger Khamenei quietly emerged as one of the most influential figures around the country’s most powerful office.
For nearly two decades, Mojtaba was widely seen as the trusted gatekeeper to his father, controlling access to the Supreme Leader and cultivating deep ties within Iran’s security establishment.
The decision was taken by the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the clerical body tasked with appointing Iran’s Supreme Leader. In a statement issued shortly after midnight Tehran time, the assembly confirmed: “By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Mojtaba, a 56-year-old cleric, had long been seen as a leading candidate to succeed his father. Although he rarely appeared in public and held no formal government office, he was widely believed to wield considerable influence within Iran’s security establishment and the economic networks built during Ali Khamenei’s decades in power.
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A father-son bond that quietly shaped power in Tehran
For much of the past two decades, Mojtaba Khamenei stayed out of the spotlight while remaining close to the centre of power. Those familiar with Iran’s political circles say he was one of the few people who had constant access to his father, the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He often handled the flow of visitors and messages to the leader’s office, making him an important link between the country’s top authority and the wider political establishment.
Although he was seldom seen in public and never occupied a formal government position, Mojtaba’s name often surfaced in conversations about who really held influence in Tehran. Many analysts believed he had strong relationships within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and sections of the intelligence establishment. Those connections, they said, allowed him to exercise quiet but significant influence over key decisions, even while remaining largely out of the public eye.
The relationship between father and son was widely viewed as one of deep trust. Mojtaba was believed to have helped carry forward his father’s political and ideological line, with analysts often describing him as a more hardline figure.
His appointment is being seen by many observers as marking a rare dynastic turn in Iran’s leadership structure, with the son formally stepping into the role long held by his father.
Leadership transition amid widening conflict
Ali Khamenei, Iran’s long-serving Supreme Leader, was killed in one of the first strikes launched against Iran on February 28 after hostilities erupted between Iran and a US-Israel alliance.
The Supreme Leader holds ultimate authority in the Islamic Republic, overseeing the armed forces, judiciary and major state institutions. Mojtaba’s appointment, therefore, places him at the centre of Iran’s political and military decision-making during a period of intense regional conflict.
His elevation is also expected to further strain relations with Washington. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States should have a say in Iran’s leadership transition.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump told ABC News.
Israel had also issued warnings ahead of the announcement, suggesting that whoever assumed the role could become a target.