Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been selected as his successor, following the assassination of his father.
As per Iranian media, Iran’s clerics have announced the most anticipated decision on Sunday.
This significant move is likely to escalate the war, given US President Donald Trump already acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei was the most likely successor and clarified that selecting Mojtaba Khamenei would be "unacceptable."
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled for 37 years, embraced martyrdom on February 28, 2026 in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian media reported that Iran's clerics have reached majority consensus of selecting Iran’s new supreme leader; however, further details were not revealed at that time.
Following the report, Trump reacted to it saying, the new leader “is not going to last long” without his approval of selection.
As per several credible analysts, Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment is a symbolic move designed to make the regime stronger.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
The 56-year-old cleric is Ayatollah Khamenei's second son and has major influence in Iran's political and military circles due to his close ties to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Though he has never occupied a senior position within Iran’s government, he spent much of his lifetime at the centre of power in Iran while remaining largely out of the public eye.
He studied theology in the seminaries of Qom and reportedly participated in the final stages of the Iran-Iraq war.
To his supporters, Mojtaba Khamenei is a true follower of Islam, who represents continuity with the ideological line established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and maintained by his father.
