State media in Iran announced Sunday that the country’s Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the nation’s new supreme leader, following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The younger Khamenei, who serves as a mid-ranking cleric, maintains strong relationships with Iran’s influential Revolutionary Guards and had been considered by many within the country’s leadership as a likely candidate to inherit his father’s role. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died following military strikes conducted by the United States and Israel against Iran.
While Iran’s governing philosophy typically opposes the concept of passing power from father to son, Mojtaba Khamenei commands significant support among the Revolutionary Guards and retains backing from his late father’s office, which continues to wield considerable influence in Iranian politics.
