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Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader of Iran?

2026-03-08 22:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader of Iran?

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been chosen by the country's Assembly of Experts to take over the top post following the death of his father in a US-Israeli attack on Tehran.

His elevation, which came amid strong influence from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), marks one of the most significant and controversial transitions in the Islamic Republic's 47-year history.

Born in 1969 in Mashhad, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Ali Khamenei, grew up during the final years of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's rule. His father, a fierce critic of the monarchy, joined forces with Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's first Supreme Leader, in the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah and established the country's clerical republic, elevating the Khamenei family to the core of the new power structure.

When Ali Khamenei became Supreme Leader in 1989, Mojtaba grew up at the heart of Iran's religious-political establishment, shaped by the institutions and networks that ran the governance of the Islamic Republic.

At the age of 17, Mojtaba served in the army for several brief stints during the Iran-Iraq War, according to Iranian media. The bloody eight-year conflict made the regime even more suspicious of the US and the West, which supported Iraq.

In 1999, Mojtaba went to Qom, a holy city considered an important center of Shiite theology, to continue his religious studies. It is notable that he did not wear clerical garb until this time.

Unlike his father, Mojtaba has largely kept a low profile. He has never held any government position, nor has he given public speeches or interviews. 

However, there are long-standing rumors of his influence as a gatekeeper to his father.

US diplomatic cables, which were published by WikiLeaks in the late 2000s, described him as the "power behind the cloaks" who was widely considered a "capable and powerful leader" within the regime./CNA 





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