Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has emerged as one of the strongest contenders to lead Iran following his father’s death.
Iran’s powerful clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, is expected to choose the country’s next supreme leader. One of its members, Ahmad Khatami, told Iranian state media on Wednesday that the council hopes to vote “at the earliest opportunity”.
Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, died at 86 in Tehran during the opening wave of missile strikes linked to the escalating conflict involving the United States and Israel.
Race To Replace Iran’s Supreme Leader
Several influential clerics are being discussed as potential successors.
They include Alireza Arafi, a member of the interim leadership council currently overseeing the country, hard-line cleric Mohsen Araki, and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Iran’s revolutionary founder.
However, Mojtaba Khamenei’s name has drawn particular attention, raising the prospect of a rare hereditary transfer of power in the Islamic Republic.
Such a move would be controversial. Iran abolished its centuries-old monarchy during the Iranian Revolution that overthrew the shah and established the Islamic Republic.
Who Is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad, Mojtaba Khamenei is one of six children of the late leader.
Despite holding no official government office, the 56-year-old cleric has long been regarded as an influential figure behind the scenes in Iran’s power structure.
Known for his low public profile, Mojtaba rarely appears at official ceremonies or in the media. Yet many analysts believe he has exercised significant influence through close ties to conservative factions and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
His relationship with the Revolutionary Guards dates back to the final years of the Iran–Iraq War, when he reportedly served in a combat unit.
Sanctions And Controversy
In 2019, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei during the administration of Donald Trump.
US officials alleged that the cleric represented the authority of his father and worked closely with Iranian security forces despite never being elected to public office.
Opponents have also accused him of involvement in the crackdown that followed the disputed re-election of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, which sparked widespread protests across Iran.
Wealth Allegations
Investigations by the news organisation Bloomberg have also linked Mojtaba to a network of overseas investments.
Citing intelligence sources, the report claimed his wealth may exceed $100 million, allegedly tied to investments in luxury properties in the United Kingdom, hotels in Europe and real estate in Dubai through offshore companies.
Religious Background
Mojtaba studied Islamic theology in the clerical centre of Qom, where he later taught religious studies.
He holds the clerical rank of Hujjat al-Islam, which is lower than the title of Ayatollah held by both his father and Iran’s revolutionary founder Ruhollah Khomeini.
His wife, Zahra Haddad-Adel, daughter of former parliament speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, was also reported killed in the same missile strikes that killed Ali Khamenei.
Growing Regional Tensions
Amid the leadership transition, Israel Katz warned that whoever succeeds Ali Khamenei would become a potential target.
The Assembly of Experts, made up of 88 clerics elected every eight years, has overseen only one previous leadership transition when Ali Khamenei himself was chosen in 1989 following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini.
