Mojtaba will occupy the position held by his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died on February 28 after attacks by Israel and the US in the region
Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei56 years old, is the , according to the country’s state media. He occupies the position held by his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died on February 28 after attacks by Israel and the United States in the region.
He gained influence after helping organize the crackdown on “Green Wave” protests in 2009 linked to contested elections that kept Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power. Considered hard-linehis eventual leadership indicates little or no political change in the country. Israel has already stated that any new Iranian leader could become a military target.
Furthermore, the passing of power from father to son is not well regarded within Shiism of Islamwhich makes his political movement in the country difficult.
Mojtaba Khamenei was born in Mashhad and is the second eldest son of Ali Khamenei. He studied at religious seminaries in Qom and pursued a clerical career in Twelfth Shiism. Although he does not hold formal senior positions, is widely considered influential behind the scenes of Iranian politics.
Analysts point out its proximity to the Revolutionary Guardand his role in the regime’s conservative networks. He rarely appears in public and maintains a low profile. For years he had been identified as the main candidate to succeed his father’s position, being the most likely to take on the position of the country’s supreme leader.
According to the Iranian press, Mojtaba lost not only his father, but also his mother, his wife and a young son in the attacks on Iran that began at the end of February.
Choosing the new supreme leader
Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as Iran’s new supreme leader late this Sunday afternoon (8). The announcement was made by the country’s state media.
Earlier, the Assembly of Experts had announced the choice of the new leader, but the The name of the chosen one had not been revealed.
Also this Sunday, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, told American channel ABC that whoever is chosen to lead Iran “will not last long” if he does not receive his prior approval.
“If he does not have our approval, It won’t last long.”Trump told ABC News. “We want to make sure we don’t have to go back every 10 years when there isn’t a president like me who does that.”
Asked if he would be willing to approve someone with ties to the former regime, Trump responded: “Yes, to choose a good leader, I would approve. There are countless people who could qualify.”
Since 1989, Ali Khamenei was the country’s supreme leader. He succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, responsible for establishing the Islamic republic in Iran.
Previously, Khamenei was president of Iran from 1981 to 1989.
*With Estadão Conteúdo and AFP
