Guwahati: Mojtaba Khamenei has been named the new Supreme Leader of Iran, succeeding his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the outset of the ongoing Middle East war.
Iranian state media reported that several members of the Khamenei family were also killed in the initial strikes, including Mojtaba’s wife Zahra Adel, his mother Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, and one of his sons.
The appointment signals that hardline factions within Iran’s ruling establishment are determined to maintain their grip on power despite mounting domestic and international pressure for reform, as U.S. and Israeli military operations continue in the region.
Mojtaba’s rise to the position also carries symbolic weight. The Islamic Republic, founded after the Iranian Revolution that overthrew the monarchy of the shahs, now appears to be led by members of the same family across successive generations.
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that any new Iranian leader would ultimately need Washington’s approval.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump said, adding that the United States wants a long-term solution that prevents recurring crises over Iran’s leadership and nuclear ambitions.
At the same time, Trump did not dismiss the possibility of engaging with a leader drawn from the existing Iranian power structure.
At 56, Mojtaba Khamenei becomes only the third person to hold the title of Supreme Leader since the Islamic Republic was established, following his father and Ruhollah Khomeini.
Like his father when he assumed power in 1989, Mojtaba is not an ayatollah but a mid-ranking Shia cleric. When Ali Khamenei rose to leadership, Iran’s laws were amended to allow him to take the position despite not holding the traditional religious rank required for the role—a move that remained controversial throughout his nearly four-decade rule.
Until recently, Mojtaba Khamenei was viewed as an influential yet largely behind-the-scenes figure within Iran’s political system. Reports have suggested he accumulated significant wealth through a network of shell companies and real estate holdings in cities including Dubai, Frankfurt, Mallorca and London, with assets collectively valued at more than $100 million.
As Supreme Leader, he now assumes control over Iran’s most powerful institutions, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also becomes the de facto head of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” a regional network of armed groups opposed to the United States and its allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza, along with smaller militias operating in Iraq.
However, the leadership transition comes amid escalating threats. U.S. and Israeli officials have indicated that any figure leading Iran’s current military posture could become a target for assassination.
Several senior Iranian officials have already been killed during the conflict, including Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Pakpour.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on social media that any leader appointed by Tehran to continue policies aimed at confronting Israel and the United States would be considered “an unequivocal target for elimination.”
Meanwhile, Trump has suggested that the most viable successor to Iran’s leadership might come from within the current regime itself, though he noted that many potential figures had already been killed during the ongoing military campaign.
The new Supreme Leader was formally selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body responsible for appointing and overseeing the country’s highest authority. The council’s headquarters in the city of Qom was struck in an airstrike on March 3 during the conflict.
Earlier, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that an interim three-member body had been established to manage leadership affairs until a new Supreme Leader could be formally confirmed.
Asked whether the Iranian public would have any direct role in choosing the next leader, Takht-Ravanchi said that the people had already elected the Assembly of Experts, which in turn is responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader, describing the process as “transparent” and “democratic.”
The leadership change comes against the backdrop of intensifying hostilities in the region. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began.
Iran has responded to U.S. and Israeli military actions with missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, targeting military bases and other sites. At least six U.S. service members have reportedly been killed, alongside numerous casualties in the wider region as tensions continue to escalate.