The 56-year-old son of Iran’s late leader has spent years operating behind the scenes, with reports linking him to the IRGC, internal power networks, and controversial crackdowns on protests.
File image: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei | ANI
Reports emerging from Israeli media claim that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been selected to succeed his father and may soon be formally declared the country’s next supreme authority.
According to senior Israeli officials cited by Ynet News, Iran’s Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body tasked with choosing Iran’s Supreme Leader, is expected to make the announcement within hours. However, Iranian state media has not independently confirmed the development so far.
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The reports come at a time when the Middle East conflict has intensified after US and Israeli strikes inside Iran reportedly killed Ayatollah Khamenei and other key figures in the country’s leadership. Tehran has since retaliated with counterattacks targeting American bases and Israeli-linked assets across the region.
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Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the second-oldest son of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
According to The New York Times, Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts had allegedly chosen Mojtaba for the position, reportedly under strong pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mojtaba is believed to have played an influential role behind the scenes for years. He reportedly helped manage his father’s office and maintained close ties with senior figures within the IRGC as well as the elite Quds Force.
Israeli media outlets have described him as holding more hard-line views than his father and have linked him to the state’s harsh response to protests inside Iran.
Mojtaba Khamenei has also faced international scrutiny in the past. In November 2019, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, accusing him of acting on behalf of the Supreme Leader despite not holding an elected or formal government post.
According to the Treasury, the late Iranian leader had delegated certain responsibilities to Mojtaba, who worked closely with the commanders of the IRGC’s Quds Force and the Basij militia to pursue Iran’s regional and domestic objectives.
Reports have also claimed that Mojtaba had access to luxury properties in London and maintained financial accounts in countries including the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Meanwhile, an Israeli security official said Israel had carried out a strike on a building in the Iranian city of Qom where senior clerics had reportedly gathered to discuss succession plans following Khamenei’s death.
The Assembly of Experts had reportedly convened for the first time since 1989, when it appointed Ali Khamenei to the position.
It remains unclear how many members of the council were inside the building at the time of the strike.
Iran’s state news agency, however, said the structure that was hit was an abandoned building and not a meeting venue.
At the same time, Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency posted a message on social media in Persian saying that regardless of who replaces Khamenei, “his fate has already been decided,” adding that the Iranian people would ultimately determine their leadership.
The message was accompanied by an image showing dominoes featuring names and photographs of clerics believed to be potential successors.
Israeli forces also said they carried out separate strikes in Tehran and Isfahan targeting facilities linked to ballistic missile production and launch systems.
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