Iran’s powerful assembly of experts has elected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as the country’s next supreme leader, according to informed sources cited Iranian International and New York Times. The announced decision follows days of military escalation and internal deliberations after Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday.
The elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei, a cleric long considered influential but publicly reclusive, signals an attempt by Iran’s ruling establishment to maintain continuity amid a war with the US and Israel. It is also only the second time in the 47-year history of the republic that the Assembly of Experts has elected a supreme leader.
Support for the Revolutionary Guards and negotiations behind closed doors
The Assembly of Experts — an 88-member clerical body constitutionally empowered to appoint, supervise and, if necessary, remove the Supreme Leader — convened two virtual meetings on Tuesday, one in the morning and one in the evening, according to three Iranian officials familiar with the discussions cited by the New York Times.
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The officials said the clerics were considering whether to announce Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment as early as Wednesday morning. Some members reportedly expressed concern that a quick declaration could expose him to being targeted by the United States or Israel.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, commonly referred to as the Revolutionary Guards, is said to have pushed hard for Mojtab’s promotion. According to officials, the Guard argued that he had the necessary credentials and political convictions to lead Iran during what they characterized as an existential moment.
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Israel struck a building in Qum – one of the main centers of religious authority in Shiite Islam – where the congregation was to meet in person. According to the Fars agency, which is linked to the Revolutionary Guards, the building was reportedly empty at the time of the strike.
A shadowy figure steps forward
Mojtaba Khamenei, who is 56 years old, has worked for years in the inner sanctum of Iran’s clerical and security apparatus. Although rarely seen in public, he was widely seen as a person of considerable influence behind the scenes, particularly through his close ties to the Revolutionary Guards.
His rise follows the death of not only his father, but also his immediate family members. The Iranian government said that his wife, Zahra Adel; his mother, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh; and son were killed alongside Ali Khamenei in Saturday’s attacks.
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The decision to elevate him consolidates power in a line directly linked to the Islamic Republic’s second-in-command and raises questions about dynastic succession in a system formally based on clerical legitimacy rather than hereditary transfer.
Alternative candidates and the reformist undercurrent
Other figures reportedly considered during the talks included Alireza Arafí, a cleric and lawyer serving on the three-member transitional leadership council created after the death of Ali Khamenei, and Seyed Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Both were generally considered more moderate alternatives. In particular, Seyed Hassan Khomeini has been associated with Iran’s sidelined reformist political current, a faction that has long vied for influence in the Islamic Republic’s tightly controlled political system.
It follows from their considerations that even with external military pressure, internal debates about the ideological direction of the state persisted.
Washington DC reaction and regional stakes
President Trump said at a news conference in Washington on Tuesday that the recent attacks had killed many individuals his administration had previously viewed as potential Iranian successors. “Pretty soon we won’t know anybody,” he said.
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Asked about the worst-case scenario in Iran, he noted: “I think the worst case scenario would be if we do that and we get taken over by someone who is just as bad as the previous person. Right, that can happen. We don’t want that to happen.”
The remarks underscored the uncertainty surrounding Iran’s leadership transition and the broader regional implications. The United States and Israel have framed their strikes as efforts to weaken Iran’s strategic capabilities, but the rapid consolidation of authority under a figure closely associated with the Revolutionary Guards could harden rather than soften Tehran’s stance.
Historical precedent: Only the second selection
The Assembly of Experts last exercised its decision-making authority in 1989, when it selected Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. At the time, the clerical establishment effectively shaped the newly entrenched theocratic order. For more than four decades, Ali Khamenei consolidated power in Iran’s political, military and judicial institutions, ruling with near-absolute authority.
