Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, has been selected as Iran’s new supreme leader following the death of his father, according to Iranian state media.
The 56-year-old hardline cleric’s mother, wife, and one of his sisters were also reportedly killed in the strike that killed his father on the first day of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. However, Mojtaba Khamenei was not present at the time and survived the intense bombing.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the 88-member clerical body responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader — has called on Iranians to remain united and support Mojtaba Khamenei.
In a statement carried by state media on Sunday, the assembly said Khamenei was chosen through a “decisive vote”. It urged all Iranians, “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities,” to pledge allegiance to the new leadership and maintain national unity.
Although Mojtaba Khamenei has never run for public office or faced a national vote, he has long been considered an influential figure within Iran’s ruling circle and is known to have strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
