Iran names Khamenei’s hardline son Mojtaba as new supreme leader | World News

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain former leader, in Tehran in 2019. (Photo: X)

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late leader Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as the new supreme leader of Iran, according to state media, a decision that comes as tensions remain high during the ongoing conflict in the region.

Members of the clerical body responsible for selecting the country’s top authority said on Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei had been elected through what they described as a “decisive vote”. The assembly urged citizens to unite behind the new leadership at a difficult time for the country.

In a statement carried Iranian state outlets, the body called on people across the country — “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities” — to pledge loyalty and protect national unity.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Photo: AP)

The appointment follows the death of Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly four decades before he was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28 during the first day of the war with Israel.

Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise marks the first time since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that the country’s highest authority has passed from father to son. Analysts say the move could spark debate within Iran, where the revolution originally aimed to end hereditary rule under the shah.Story continues below this ad

Across Iran’s political and security institutions, officials quickly expressed support for the new leader. State media reported that the armed forces pledged allegiance to him, while parliamentary leaders said following Mojtaba Khamenei was a “religious and national duty”.

The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also declared its loyalty, saying it was ready to follow the new leader’s direction during the current crisis.

However, the appointment drew a strong reaction from US President Donald Trump. Speaking earlier on Sunday, Trump warned that Iran’s next supreme leader would “not last long” if Tehran did not gain Washington’s approval.

Trump has previously called Mojtaba Khamenei an “unacceptable” choice and said the United States should have a role in shaping Iran’s political future.Story continues below this ad

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has never held elected office and has rarely appeared in public. Born in 1969 in Mashhad, he studied Islamic theology in the religious seminaries of Qom and spent much of his life working within his father’s office.

He is believed to have built close ties with conservative clerics and members of the IRGC, which analysts say helped strengthen his influence inside Iran’s power structure.

His name became widely known during the disputed 2009 presidential election, when reform figures accused him of supporting the security crackdown on protests that followed the vote. He has never publicly commented on the allegations.

Meanwhile, the regional conflict continued to spread. Iranian strikes were reported across the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait reporting drone or missile attacks.Story continues below this ad

Saudi authorities said they intercepted 15 drones, while a projectile that fell in the city of Al-Kharj killed two people and injured 12 others, according to civil defence officials.