Ali Khamenei’s son was elected by the Assembly of Experts after his father’s death in an attack blamed on the US and Israel
Iran has chosen Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son as the country’s new supreme leader. The decision was taken this Sunday (March 8, 2026) by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a body made up of 88 clerics responsible for choosing the highest authority of the Islamic Republic.
The election takes place about a week after the death of Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than 3 decades and was killed in attacks attributed to the United States and Israel at the start of the regional war.
Until then, the Assembly had chosen a new supreme leader only once since the creation of the Islamic Republic, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when Ali Khamenei succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. The information is from CNN.
Continuity of the name Khamenei
Before the official announcement, members of the Assembly indicated that “the name Khamenei would remain” in the country’s leadership. According to cleric Hosseinali Eshkevari, the vote had already been held and there was consensus among religious people about the successor.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the second son of Ali Khamenei and serves as a mid-level cleric. Although he has never held elected office, he is considered an influential figure behind the scenes of the regime.
He maintains close links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij paramilitary militia, central forces in the Iranian political and military system.
According to authorities cited by international agencies, the Guard would have pushed for his choice, arguing that he has the conditions to lead the country in the midst of the current crisis.
