Iran’s Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, state media reports.
How Khamenei’s selection was announced
A statement from the Assembly of Experts was read aloud by the presenter on state TV:
“Despite the acute wartime conditions and the direct threats of the enemies against this popular institution, and despite the bombing of the offices of the Secretariat of the Assembly of Experts, which resulted in the martyrdom of several staff members and members of its security team, did not pause even for a moment in the process of selecting and introducing the leadership of the Islamic system.”
The presenter then shouted “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Khamenei is the leader.”
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Born on 8 September 1969 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second of Ali Khamenei’s six children.
He received his secondary education at the religious Alavi School in Tehran.
At age 17, Mojtaba served in the military for several short periods during the Iran-Iraq War, according to Iranian media. The eight-year bloody 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 which is considered an important centre of Shia theology, to continue his religious studies. It is notable that he did not wear clerical clothing until this time.
Unlike his father, Mojtaba has largely kept a low profile. He has never held any government office, nor has he given public speeches or interviews. Only a limited number of photos and videos of him have been published.
However, there are longstanding rumours about 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 robes” who was widely regarded as a “capable and forceful leader” within the regime, according to the Associated Press.
US and Israel likely to object to Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment
Over the past week, and again earlier today, US President Donald Trump said he wanted to play a role in the selection of the new Iranian supreme leader.
While he signalled he would be open to someone linked to the old leadership taking over, he made clear his opposition to that someone being Mojtaba Khamenei – who’s just been confirmed as his father’s successor.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me,” Trump said earlier this week. And only a few hours ago, he said that, without his approval, whoever takes over is “not going to last long”.
Israel issued a warning before Khamenei’s second son was confirmed as the new supreme leader – saying that they will “continue to pursue every successor” to the late ayatollah.
What was Mojtaba Khamenei’s role in the Islamic Republic before becoming supreme leader?
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was regarded as exerting influence behind the scenes, and has been accused of having hands in presidential elections, commanding the Basij militia, and maintaining close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Despite reports and speculation about his considerable influence, he has not held any official position in the Islamic Republic.
Both his father Ali Khamenei and his predecessor, the founder of the Islamic Republic Ruhollah Khomeini, had criticised hereditary succession in the context of the Pahlavi monarchy, which was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In 2019, Mojtaba Khamenei was sanctioned by the United States as part of a group of individuals “who are appointees of or have acted for or on behalf of” Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
New supreme leader chosen in spite of threats – Iran security chief
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has thanked the Assembly of Experts for selecting Ali Khamenei’s successor despite “Trump’s threat to bomb it”, according to multiple Iranian news agencies.
Ali Larijani says Tehran’s “enemies” thought the country would “reach a deadlock” following the death of Ali Khamenei but the Assembly ultimately proceeded with the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei.
IRGC ‘ready for complete obedience’ to new supreme leader – Iranian media
Iran’s state broadcaster Irib and the semi-official, IRGC-affilitated Tasnim news agency have both shared a statement credited to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps welcoming the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei.
The statement describes Khamenei as an “all-encompassing jurist, a young thinker and the most knowledgeable on political and social issues”.
The IRGC also says it declares its “respect, devotion and obedience” to Khamenei, saying that its members are “ready for complete obedience and self-sacrifice in carrying out the divine commands of the Guardian Jurist”.
For context: The IRGC is an armed force charged with protecting and preserving the Islamic Republic, and influences all its levers of power, from security to the economy.
Message of defiance by picking a man Trump called ‘unacceptable’
The son who worked for decades in the shadow of his father has assumed his mantle, in his conservative mould.
Mojtaba Khamenei is also closely linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the powerful paramilitary force he joined straight out of high school before studying with senior clerics.
It’s that continuity and connection that pulled him to the helm.
Two years ago, his father had ruled his son out of the succession, shunning the hereditary rule of the monarchy they ousted. But the besieged clerical rule he left behind is now fighting an existential battle.
The real power now calling the shots is the hardline IRGC who control every lever of power.
Iranians who denounced his father as a dictator will hope his son’s days are numbered.
But he sends a message of defiance to President Trump who called him “unacceptable”, and to Israel who’s vowed to kill him too.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
