File photo: Mojtaba Khamenei, the second-eldest son of the recently assassinated Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
In a move that signals a desperate bid for continuity amid regional chaos, Iran’s Assembly of Experts has reportedly selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new Supreme Leader.
According to Iran International, the 56-year-old was elected during an emergency session on Tuesday, following intense pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to bypass traditional clerical deliberations.
The appointment of Mojtaba, the second-eldest son of the recently assassinated leader, marks a seismic shift in the Islamic Republic’s political identity. For several decades, the regime has presented itself as a principled alternative to the monarchical regimes it overthrew in 1979. By facilitating the father-to-son transition, the ruling elite is now in an ideological crisis, with many arguing that the new development amounts to nothing less than the establishment of a new dynasty.
Mojtaba’s elevation comes at a time of existential threat for the regime. Since the US-Israeli strikes on Saturday that killed his father and several top officials, Iran has been locked in a direct military confrontation with Washington and Tel Aviv. Analysts suggest that the IRGC’s insistence on Mojtaba — a figure with deep paramilitary ties but relatively modest clerical credentials — stems from a need for a commander-in-chief who is already integrated into the security apparatus. Though he has never held a formal government office, Mojtaba has long been regarded as the “shadow” manager of the Supreme Leader’s office and a key gatekeeper for the IRGC.
The decision was not without internal friction. While the IRGC viewed him as the “safest” pair of hands to maintain the “Axis of Resistance,” some members of the Assembly of Experts reportedly expressed concern that such a swift declaration might make him an immediate target for further assassination strikes. Others highlighted his rank as a Hojjat ol-Islam, which is several degrees below the Grand Ayatollah status traditionally required for the role.
As the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba now holds absolute authority over Iran’s armed forces and its nuclear policy. However, with the country’s chain of command already disrupted and the Strait of Hormuz closed, his first task will be ensuring the very survival of the system his father spent 36 years consolidating.
