The Iranian representative to India has said that media reports regarding the appointment of Ayatollah Khamenei's son as the new Supreme Leader were not true, and the final decision was yet to be taken.
Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi, the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India, made the remark while speaking to PTI, and refuted the reports regarding the appointment of the new Supreme Leader.
“This news is not true because, till now, they have not chosen or nominated anyone, and the process is still underway,” Ilahi has said, referring to Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Also Read: Who Is Mojtaba Khamenei? Know All About Iran's New Supreme Leader
He acknowledged that Mojtaba was one of the candidates for the position, “not because he is Khamenei's son but because he has the qualifications.” Ilahi said that the authorities might end up choosing him, but the final decision was yet to be taken.
“They are assessing to find the qualified person for the position,” Ilahi said.
There have been multiple media reports regarding Mojtaba's election as the new Supreme Leader of Iran. Even reports from within Iran suggested that he has been chosen to lead the country.
Also Read: Khamenei's Son Mojtaba Appointed Iran Supreme Leader Upon IRGC Backing
Iran International, an English news website, reported that his election to the top slot was greatly influenced by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing internal sources privy to the matter.
Mojtaba is believed to have served in the Habib Battalion, a unit of mostly volunteers, during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. The battalion operated under forces linked to the IRGC and took part in several major battles.
The alliances Mojtaba had formed during those years in service have proved to be instrumental in his election to the post of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Iran International reported that many men who fought alongside Mojtaba back then have risen to senior positions in Iran's security and intelligence apparatus.
For a while now, the newspaper reported, Khamenei has been quietly building influence inside Iran's ruling system, despite rarely appearing in public or holding a formal office.
The new revelations by Ilahi are surely going to make the events interesting in the coming days.
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