Iran’s New Supreme Leader Chosen: Who Is Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei?

Iran’s clerical establishment has named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on Tehran at the start of the war with Iran on 28 February. The decision was announced on Sunday by the Assembly of Experts - the body tasked with selecting Iran’s highest authority - which described the vote as decisive and urged the population to unite behind the new leadership during what it called a critical moment for the Islamic Republic. State media appealed particularly to intellectuals and religious scholars to pledge loyalty and help safeguard national cohesion.

The appointment immediately added a new layer of tension to the already escalating conflict in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump had previously indicated that Mojtaba Khamenei was the most likely successor but warned he would consider such a choice “unacceptable.” Speaking earlier on Sunday, Trump said Iran’s next supreme leader “was not going to last long” without US approval. In a later interview with the Times of Israel, he added that the decision on when the war might end would ultimately be made together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump also argued that Iran would have destroyed Israel without the coordinated actions of Washington and Jerusalem. “Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it,” he said, crediting cooperation between the two governments for preventing that outcome and weakening Tehran’s ambitions.

Across the region, reactions to Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment quickly emerged. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement congratulated the Islamic Republic and described the selection as a victory for the revolution and a blow to its enemies. The group said the leadership change came at a decisive moment for Iran and the broader regional confrontation.

Meanwhile, Israel signalled it would continue military operations regardless of the leadership transition. The Israeli military announced that it had carried out strikes against what it described as regime infrastructure in central Iran on Monday - the first such action publicly acknowledged since Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment. Additional attacks targeted Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Iranian state media later broadcast images of a projectile reportedly launched at Israel bearing the inscription “At your command, Sayyid Mojtaba.”

The elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei marks the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that Iran’s highest leadership has passed directly from father to son. The development has already sparked debate about whether the Islamic Republic - founded after the overthrow of the hereditary monarchy of the shah - is drifting toward a dynastic system. Critics argue the succession risks concentrating power within one family, while supporters portray it as continuity with the ideological legacy of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei.

Inside Iran’s political establishment, leading officials quickly rallied behind the new leader. Senior security figure Ali Larijani said Mojtaba Khamenei had the ability to guide the country through its current crisis and urged unity across the political spectrum. State television reported that the armed forces pledged allegiance to him, while the speaker of parliament described obedience to the new supreme leader as both a religious and national duty. The Revolutionary Guards also declared their readiness to follow his leadership.

The Israeli military has also warned that the succession will not shield the new leader from being targeted. In a message published earlier on social media in Farsi, Israeli officials said they would pursue any successor to Ali Khamenei as well as those involved in appointing him. Israel’s defence minister previously suggested that whoever took the position could become a potential military target.

Many analysts view Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise as partly symbolic, intended to demonstrate resilience and continuity despite the heavy blows the regime has suffered in the ongoing war. The 56-year-old cleric has spent decades close to the centre of Iranian power but has rarely appeared in public and has never held an elected post.

Born in 1969 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, he grew up within the political environment shaped by the Islamic Revolution. He studied theology in the seminaries of Qom, one of the most important centres of Shia scholarship, and reportedly served briefly during the final phase of the Iran-Iraq war as a teenager.

Unlike many senior figures in Iran’s political system, Mojtaba Khamenei never pursued a prominent government role. Instead he gradually built influence inside his father’s office, where observers often described him as part of a small group controlling access to the supreme leader. Over time he developed close ties with conservative clerics and elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, relationships that analysts say helped strengthen his position within the regime.

His name first became widely known during Iran’s contested 2005 presidential election, when reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi accused him of intervening to help hard-line contender Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Karroubi alleged that members of the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia distributed money to religious organisations to secure Ahmadinejad’s victory. Similar accusations resurfaced during the disputed 2009 election that triggered the mass protests known as the Green Movement.

During those demonstrations, some protesters openly opposed the possibility of Mojtaba succeeding his father. Reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh later said he believed his imprisonment following the unrest was ordered directly by Mojtaba Khamenei. Two opposition leaders from that period - Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi - remain under house arrest.

Despite his proximity to power, Mojtaba Khamenei has remained largely invisible in public life. He has rarely spoken publicly, granted no interviews and appears only occasionally in photographs released by Iranian media. Earlier US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks described him as “the power behind the robes” and portrayed him as an influential but discreet figure within the system.

Questions about his religious credentials have also emerged. Mojtaba is considered a mid-ranking cleric, and it is unclear whether he holds the scholarly standing traditionally expected of a supreme leader. In recent days, however, Iranian outlets and figures close to the establishment have increasingly referred to him as “Ayatollah”, a higher clerical title. Observers see this shift as an attempt to strengthen his legitimacy and present him as qualified for the role.

A similar precedent existed in 1989 when Ali Khamenei himself was elevated to the rank of Ayatollah shortly after becoming supreme leader. Within the Shia seminary system, recognition as an Ayatollah and the ability to teach advanced religious courses are generally viewed as indicators of the knowledge expected from someone who might lead the Islamic Republic.

Mojtaba Khamenei now assumes power under extremely volatile circumstances. Iran has warned that it could target oil infrastructure in neighbouring countries after Israeli strikes hit several energy facilities in and around Tehran, sending thick plumes of smoke over the capital. A spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards warned that if oil prices exceeding $200 per barrel were acceptable to Western governments, the confrontation could continue.

At the same time, Washington has attempted to calm energy markets by signalling that US forces do not intend to strike Iran’s oil sector directly. The war has nonetheless begun to spread across the Gulf. Several countries - including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait - reported incoming drones and missiles on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted 15 drones, while Bahraini authorities reported damage to a key desalination facility. In the Saudi city of Al-Kharj, a projectile that fell on a residential area killed two people and injured twelve others, according to the kingdom’s civil defence service.

Many observers believe Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership will likely continue the hardline policies pursued by his father. Some analysts also note that he recently lost several close family members in the US-Israeli strikes, a factor that could further harden his stance toward Western governments.

At the same time, he faces the challenge of stabilising a country struggling with economic strain, war and internal political tensions. His leadership credentials remain largely untested, and critics warn that the perception of hereditary rule could deepen dissatisfaction among many Iranians.

Internationally, the appointment has been followed closely - including in Bulgaria, where the leadership change dominated foreign policy analysis and news coverage. Bulgarian commentators and regional security experts described the succession as a turning point in the Middle East conflict, warning that it could significantly influence energy markets and geopolitical stability in the coming months.