Iran’s Assembly of Experts has elected Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28 following strikes carried out by the United States and Israel.

The decision was announced overnight between March 8 and 9 by Iranian state media.

According to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA, meetings of the Assembly of Experts — the body responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader — were held both in person and, for security reasons, through representatives of council members.

The Assembly of Experts consists of 88 influential Islamic scholars who are tasked with appointing the supreme leader.

Following the announcement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pledged allegiance to the new leader and declared its readiness to follow his directives.

In an official statement, Mojtaba Khamenei was described as “a well-educated cleric and a young thinker with deep knowledge of political and social issues.”

According to the BBC’s Russian Service, the 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei has largely remained out of the public eye for many years. He has never held official government positions, rarely appeared in public and has given very few interviews.

Only a small number of photographs and video recordings of him are publicly available. Despite the lack of formal positions, he has long been considered one of the most influential figures in Iran. Western media reports describe him as a trusted confidant of his father who oversaw key aspects of both domestic and foreign policy.

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei was born on September 8, 1969, in the holy Shiite city of Mashhad. He is the son of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is the second child of Ali Khamenei and Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh. The couple had six children in total — four sons and two daughters.

During Mojtaba’s childhood, his father was repeatedly arrested for his political and religious activities.

In 1976, Ali Khamenei was exiled from Mashhad to the southeastern city of Iranshahr, but he returned in 1978 shortly before the Islamic Revolution, according to RBC.

After the revolution, the Khamenei family moved to Tehran.

In 1987, Mojtaba graduated from the prestigious Alavi School in Tehran, an institution known for educating children from religious families.

After graduation, he joined the Habib volunteer battalion, affiliated with the IRGC, and took part in the final phase of the Iran-Iraq war.

His military service allowed him to build strong connections with future IRGC commanders, many of whom later assumed senior positions in Iran’s security establishment.

In 1989, Ali Khamenei became Iran’s Supreme Leader. From that point on, Mojtaba Khamenei began to play a more active role in the country’s political sphere, supported in part by his connections within the IRGC.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps functions as a powerful military and security institution that combines elements of the army, police and intelligence services. It includes ground, air and naval forces and oversees Iran’s missile and nuclear programs. According to Iran’s constitution, its primary mission is to “protect the Islamic Revolution and its achievements.”

In 1999, Mojtaba Khamenei moved to Qom, one of the main centers of Shiite theology, to continue his religious education.

Notably, he had not worn clerical robes before that time, and it remains unclear what prompted him to enter a religious seminary at around the age of 30, since such studies usually begin much earlier.

Mojtaba Khamenei holds the rank of a mid-level cleric, though this did not prevent him from becoming Iran’s supreme leader.

Within the religious education system, attaining the title of ayatollah and teaching at advanced levels are often seen as indicators of scholarly authority and are typically considered among the qualifications for future leadership.

Since 2004, Mojtaba Khamenei has been married to Zahra Haddad-Adel, the daughter of former Iranian parliament speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel. The couple has three children; their eldest son, Ali, was born in 2007.

According to Bloomberg, the eldest son of the Iranian leader controls an extensive investment network. Assets linked to the family reportedly include more than a dozen properties in London worth around $138 million, as well as hotel businesses in Europe and high-value real estate in Germany and the United Arab Emirates. He is reportedly also involved in shipping operations in the Persian Gulf. Bloomberg notes, however, that the son’s name does not appear directly in the transactions.

In 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department placed Mojtaba Khamenei on its sanctions list amid disputes over Iran’s nuclear program. Nevertheless, media reports indicate that the sanctions have not halted his financial activities, which are allegedly conducted through intermediaries and companies registered in various jurisdictions.

What to expect

According to BBC analysts, many observers expect Mojtaba Khamenei to continue the hard-line policies pursued by his father.

Some experts also argue that a man who lost his father, mother and wife as a result of U.S. and Israeli strikes is unlikely to make concessions under pressure from the West.

At the same time, the new leader faces a difficult challenge: ensuring the survival of the Islamic Republic while convincing society that he is capable of leading the country out of its political and economic crises.

His leadership abilities remain largely untested, and concerns that the Islamic Republic may be evolving into a hereditary system could further increase public dissatisfaction.

Trump “dissatisfied” with Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader, Fox News reported.

Host Brian Kilmeade said he spoke with Trump after the announcement, and the former president told him: “I’m not happy.” No further details were provided, according to the BBC.

Earlier, Trump had also commented on media reports suggesting Mojtaba Khamenei was among the most likely candidates for the position, stating that he did not support such a scenario. He emphasized that the United States’ position should be taken into account when Iran chooses its leadership, given the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran.

Meanwhile, Israel warned that the new leader could become a potential target.

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — which began with the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — have now entered their second week. In response, Iran has launched attacks against U.S. allies and their facilities across the region.