Iran names new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Iranian state media reports
CBSN
Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the second son of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran's new supreme leader, Iranian state media reported Sunday. In:
Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the second son of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran's new supreme leader, Iranian state media reported Sunday.
While the new supreme leader has never held elected office, the 57-year-old for years has operated quietly behind the scenes from within his father's office — cultivating influence across the security establishment, particularly within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Mojtaba Khamenei was selected by Iran's Assembly of Experts, comprised of 88 clerics and supervised by the 12-member Guardian Council, which acts as a watchdog for Iran's constitution. Ali Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28 in a strike that also took out about 40 other high ranking Iranian officials.
When his father became supreme leader in 1989, Mojtaba Khamenei effectively became one of his closest aides. Over the years, he has been involved in running parts of the state apparatus, with his influence growing particularly after the 2009 political unrest known as the Green Revolution. He is believed to have played a role in coordinating elements of the government response — a brutal crackdown involving killings and mass arrests.
Mojtaba Khamenei studied theology in Qom and served in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, during which he was injured. The war was where he developed close ties with the military services and with the IRGC.
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