Iran's Assembly of Experts has elected former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba to succeed him, NDTV reported on Wednesday citing local media. The selection has been made under pressure from the powerful paramilitary group Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old second son of the late Supreme Leader, operates as a formidable power broker with deep, behind-the-scenes influence over the IRGC and the Basij paramilitary networks. He is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War and has intimate coordination with Iran's security apparatus. The clerical establishment has been largely opposed to hereditary succession. Mojtaba also lacked the high-ranking clerical credentials and formal leadership experience traditionally required to ascend to the supreme position.
The Supreme Leader sits at the heart of Tehran's complex power-sharing Shiite theocracy and has the final say over all matters of state. The role also includes serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the IRGC — a paramilitary force designated a terrorist organisation by the United States in 2019.
Ali Khamenei was killed by the Israeli-US strikes on Saturday, plunging the whole region into the worst conflict in years. He took charge of the country in 1989 after the death of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iran began targeting Gulf states supporting US military activities in the region since the attacks on Tehran and other cities. As a result, top Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and United Arab Emirates were rocked by explosions following Iranian strikes.
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