Mojtaba Khamenei Is Iran's New Supreme Leader

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) ** Srinagar-** Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the son of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, has been appointed the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, state television announced early Monday, marking a dramatic political development as the war triggered by his father’s assassination is rattling the world.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body constitutionally tasked with selecting the Supreme Leader, elected the 56-year-old cleric in a decisive vote late Sunday night. The assembly said Mojtaba Khamenei had been chosen with“strong votes” and called on the nation to unite behind the new leader during the ongoing crisis.

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“By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the body said in a statement.

The announcement was broadcast on state television along with scenes of celebrations across Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei becomes the third Supreme Leader of Iran, following the founding leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who led the country for more than three decades.

Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated on February 28 in a joint US-Israeli military strike, triggering a war that has since spread across the Middle East. Iranian media earlier reported that several members of the late leader’s family, including his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, were killed in the strike, though Mojtaba Khamenei himself survived.

His appointment also comes despite threats by Israel that any future Iranian supreme leader would be considered a legitimate target, remarks that had heightened fears over the safety of potential successors.

In its statement, the Assembly of Experts paid tribute to the slain leader, describing his death as the end of an era of steadfast leadership and offering condolences to the Iranian nation.

The statement also honoured other victims of the strikes, including senior military commanders and students killed during attacks on the Shajra Tayyiba School in Minab city.

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Mojtaba Khamenei had long been considered a possible successor to his father, though he has never held any government position. He had not appeared publicly since the outbreak of the war.

Senior Iranian officials quickly endorsed the selection. Former top security official Ali Larijani praised the Assembly of Experts for convening despite ongoing airstrikes in Tehran and said the younger Khamenei had been trained by his father and was capable of guiding the country during the crisis.

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Iran experts say that, by choosing Mojtaba Khamenei, a clear signal is being sent that Iran will not surrender and that it is in no mood for a deal with the US.“It appears that by choosing Mojtaba Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader’s son, a clear signal is being sent that Iran will not surrender and that it is in no mood for a deal with the US. After all, they chose a Supreme Leader whose father, mother, wife, and son were just killed by Israel/US,” Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President at the Quincy Institute in Washington, DC wrote on X.

Iran’s powerful military establishment also pledged allegiance to the new leader.

The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters issued statements declaring full loyalty to Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

They described him as a jurist possessing the qualifications required for leadership, including political insight, administrative capability and religious authority, and pledged to mobilise all resources under his leadership to defend the Islamic Republic.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also welcomed the appointment, calling it a“divine blessing of continued guardianship” for Iran.

In a statement, the IRGC pledged“full respect, devotion and unwavering obedience” to Mojtaba Khamenei, describing the force as the“powerful soldier and arm of the guardianship” ready to carry out his commands.

However, the development was met with disappointment in Washington.

In the first reaction US President Donald Trump on Monday said he was“not happy”.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said,“I am not happy with Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader.”

Notably, before the official announcement, Trump had expressed a desire for a role in the succession process. Speaking to ABC News, the US President suggested that the longevity of any new Iranian leader depended on American recognition.

The elevation of the younger Khamenei comes at a time when Iran is facing one of the most serious crises in its history, with US-Israeli airstrikes targeting its military infrastructure and leadership while Iranian forces continue retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region.

Analysts say the selection signals the Iranian establishment’s attempt to ensure continuity in the country’s leadership structure during wartime, reinforcing the central role of the Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) system that forms the ideological foundation of the Islamic Republic celebrating the appointment of the young Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader chanted slogans such as ‘Daste-Khuda Ashkaar Shud, Khamenei Javan Shud’-‘the hand of God has manifested; Khamenei has been renewed’-in a terse message to the United States and Israel.

With the armed forces and the IRGC already pledging allegiance, Mojtaba Khamenei now assumes command of both the country’s political and military apparatus as Iran navigates the escalating conflict and its uncertain regional consequences.

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