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Iran's New Leader Has Never Been Tested. He Now Faces an Existential Battle
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was chosen to continue hard-line theocratic rule with strong Revolutionary Guard ties after his father's assassination, despite controversy and public dissent.
- Iran's Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the Islamic Republic's third supreme leader since 1979, with a majority voting for the 56-year-old cleric on Sunday.
- After the Feb. 28 strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian state media reported Mojtaba Khamenei lost his wife, mother and other relatives in the attack.
- Observers note that Mojtaba Khamenei, a mid-ranking cleric, has close ties to the IRGC and Basij and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2019.
- Large crowds celebrated by shouting 'Allahu Akbar' while some protesters shouted 'Death to Mojtaba!', Iranian security forces pledged to serve until their 'last drop of blood', and crude oil markets surged past $100 on Sunday.
- The selection positions Mojtaba Khamenei as continuing hard-line theocratic network around the Khamenei family, while critics warn it resembles hereditary handover risking unrest amid an existential wartime test for the Islamic Republic.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Iran's "big mistake" headlines the election of the son of the late Ayatollah as the new supreme leader of the Persian nation: "I don't think he will last long in office." Read more: Mojtaba, the "shadow prince" linked to the Revolutionary Guard that emerges to perpetuate the radical wing in Iran
Europe’s Islamic student union pledges allegiance to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
The Union of Islamic Student Associations in Europe congratulates the election of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the new Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, the son of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in Israeli and US strikes, has been elected as the country's new leader. Khamenei has long avoided publicity and has never held any public office, but from a young age he has built connections in Iran's security structures and managed the finances of state funds. Who is he?
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