Iran's Assembly of Experts elected Mojtaba Khamenei, 57, as the third supreme leader. Mojtaba is the second son of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
On the 8th (local time), according to major foreign media including Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Assembly of Experts, the constitutional body that elects Iran's supreme leader, issued a statement saying it "elected Mojtaba as the third leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by an overwhelming majority."
Born in 1969, Mojtaba was born in Mashhad, one of the most important Shia holy sites in Iran. He is the second son among Khamenei's six children. After graduating from high school, Mojtaba enlisted in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1987 and is said to have served in the latter part of the Iran-Iraq War, which lasted until 1988. He built ties with figures he met in his unit at the time, including Hossein Taeb, the IRGC's intelligence chief. Although Mojtaba held few official posts, he exercised influence as a "power behind the scenes," maintaining contact for decades with key figures in Iran's intelligence and security apparatus. The New York Times (NYT), citing sources, reported that "the IRGC pushed for his appointment, arguing that Mojtaba is the right person to lead Iran as supreme leader."
Iran's supreme leader is a figure who reigns as "God's representative," transcending Iran's legislature, judiciary and executive. With Mojtaba elected as supreme leader, Iran is expected to continue on an "ultrahardline path of resistance."
The United States and Israel have said they will continue decapitation operations, declaring, "Whoever becomes Khamenei's successor will be eliminated." U.S. President Donald Trump also warned that day regarding Iran's next leader, saying, "A successor who does not receive our approval will not last long."
However, some say that in the Islamic Republic system, which has criticized hereditary rule, Mojtaba ascending to the supreme leadership after his father could trigger significant backlash. Iran ended hereditary rule when it toppled the Pahlavi dynasty through the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Khamenei also, while alive, conveyed through close aides his opposition to his son becoming his successor.