Mojtaba Khamenei became the new supreme spiritual leader of Iran on Sunday. The Assembly of Experts elected him more than a week after his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, died in US-Israeli attacks. TASR informs about it with reference to AFP and AP agencies.
The Assembly of Experts said in a wide-ranging statement cited by Iranian media that Khamenei’s second-born son was chosen after careful and comprehensive consideration on the basis of a “decisive vote” It also called on Iranians, “especially elites and intellectuals from seminaries and universities,” to swear allegiance to the country’s leadership and maintain unity.
Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, the first day of US-Israeli attacks on Iran. He was the supreme spiritual leader for more than 37 years. Mojtaba Khamenei survived the attacks, but in addition to his father, his mother, wife and daughter were also killed.
Little is known about 56-year-old Mojtab Khamenei. He has never held a position in the government. He kept to himself, rarely appearing in public or attending Friday prayers. He is an uncompromising conservative who served in the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). It is associated with the violent suppression of protests in Iran.
His work in the Revolutionary Guards helped him build contacts with influential people who currently hold high positions in Iran. It was the Revolutionary Guards who immediately after his election declared loyalty and obedience” to Mojtab Khamenei. According to Sky News, Khamenei’s son reportedly owns real estate around the world, including London. Unlike his father, who was a well-known intellectual and eloquent speaker before he became the supreme spiritual leader, Mojtaba Khamenei is little known in Iran. He worked at a middle level in the hierarchy of Iranian clerics.
The supreme spiritual leader in Iran ultimately determines the strategic direction of the state. He is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, holds key posts in the judiciary and the army, and oversees influential state bodies. It has no fixed term of office.
US President Donald Trump, after launching attacks on Iran, repeatedly declared that he wanted to participate in the selection of its new spiritual leader. On Wednesday, he called the son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a “light weight” and an “unacceptable” choice. “We want something that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump declared. In an interview with ABC News, he said that if elected, he “won’t be in office for long.”
