Mojtaba Khamenei will succeed father to become new supreme leader of Iran despite Israel’s threats.
Iran’s state media reported that Mojtaba whose acquaintance described him as “the most dangerous man in the world”has been selected as new supreme leader of the country following father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killing.
Khamenei was killed on the first day US and Israel launched war along wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law in Israeli strike.
The 56-year-old survived as he was not present with his family and is now selected as the new leader by the Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the 88-member clerical body that selects the country’s supreme leader.
In a statement circulated on state media on Sunday, March 8, the assembly said that Khamenei was chosen based on a “decisive vote,” urging all Iranians, “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities”, to “pledge allegiance to the leadership and maintain unity.”
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Here are some facts about the new supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei:
Born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad, Mojtaba is second son of Khamenei and is described as more violent and ideological than his father.
The 56-year-old is one of the influential figures in Iran's power corridors who has kept close links with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
He has largely kept a low profile, not giving public lectures, Friday sermons, or political addresses, to the point that many Iranians have not heard his voice, Al Jazeera reported.
However, he came to the limelight during the 2005 presidential elections in which he allegedly helped a relatively unknown figure from the IRGC, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, win the vote, according to DW.
Four years later, Mojtaba faced the same accusation again after Ahmadinejad's reelection triggered mass protests across Iran.
Some protesters, who opposed the idea of Mojtaba succeeding his father as supreme leader, even chanted "death to Mojtaba" during the demonstrations.
When it comes to financial assets of Mojtaba Khamenei, according to a 2026 Bloomberg investigation, his holdings include high-value real estate in London and Dubai, as well as interests linked to shipping, banking, and hospitality assets in Europe.
As per the report, the assets were mostly not held in his name but structured through intermediaries and layered corporate entities across multiple jurisdictions.
Mojtaba Khamenei's religious rank is a concern since he's a hojatoleslam, a mid-level cleric, not an ayatollah.
However, his father Ali Khamenei faced similar issues in 1989, and the law was changed to accommodate him. A similar solution might work for Mojtaba, allowing him to become Supreme Leader despite his lower clerical rank.
Furthermore, it is unclear how and when Iran will proceed with announcing new leader during the escalating conflict in the region.
