Iran leadership change: Son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, becomes new Supreme Leader

Iran’s leadership transition took a decisive turn on Sunday as the country’s powerful Assembly of Experts announced that Mojtaba Khamenei will succeed his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, according to Iranian state media reports cited by Reuters.

The decision formalises a succession that had been widely anticipated within Iran’s ruling establishment following Ali Khamenei’s death in joint US-Israeli strikes that helped trigger the ongoing conflict across West Asia.

The official announcement came days after Iran International, an anti-Tehran media outlet, reported that the 56-year-old cleric had already been selected for the all-powerful position.

Mojtaba Khamenei, a mid-ranking cleric with close ties to the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had long been viewed by influential factions within the Iranian system as a possible successor to his father. His elevation places him at the centre of power in the Islamic Republic, giving him ultimate authority over state affairs.

Donald Trump reacts

His appointment is expected to deepen tensions with Washington. US President Donald Trump said the United States should have a say in the choice of Iran’s next leader.

"If he doesn't get approval from us, he's not going to last long," he told ABC News.

Israel had also issued warnings ahead of the announcement, threatening to target whoever emerged as Iran’s next Supreme Leader.

Despite Iran’s ideological opposition to hereditary rule, Mojtaba’s rise reflects the influence he commands among elements of the Revolutionary Guards and within his father’s political network.

"By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts, appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the assembly said in a statement issued just after midnight Tehran time.

Hours before the formal announcement, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, a member of the council, indicated that a successor had been selected according to Ali Khamenei’s guidance that Iran’s top leader should be "hated by the enemy".

"Even the Great Satan (US) has mentioned his name," Heidari Alekasir said of the chosen successor. He was referring to Trump's warning that Mojtaba was an "unacceptable" choice for him.

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?

Born in 1969 in the Shi’ite holy city of Mashhad, Mojtaba Khamenei grew up during the years when his father was involved in the revolutionary movement that eventually toppled the Shah of Iran.

As a young man, he served in the Iran-Iraq war before pursuing religious studies under conservative clerics in the seminaries of Qom, the centre of Shia theological learning in Iran.

Unlike many figures in Iran’s political elite, Mojtaba has never held a formal government post. He has largely remained out of the public spotlight, appearing occasionally at pro-government gatherings but rarely speaking publicly.

The US Treasury Department sanctioned him in 2019, stating that he represented Ali Khamenei in "an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position" apart from working in his father’s office.

Mojtaba also drew criticism during the protests that erupted in Iran after the custodial death of a young woman accused of violating the country’s strict dress codes.

He has also been widely linked to the political rise of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who became Iran’s president in 2005.