Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been appointed Iran’s new supreme leader, state media report.
Following a vote by the assembly of experts, a group of clerics in charge of selecting Iran’s highest authority, the 56-year-old younger Khamenei was named as his father’s successor on Sunday.
Recall that Saturday, his father, Iran’s former supreme leader was killed during US and Israeli strikes.
Key political leaders, the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the armed forces were quick to pledge their backing to the new leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei has developed strong ties to the IRGC and has long been a powerful player in the supreme leader’s inner circle, despite never having run for office or been put to the public vote.
Mojtaba Khamenei has been mentioned more and more in recent years as a possible successor to his father, who had ruled since 1989. As the battle moves into its second week, his appointment may be an indication that more conservative elements of Iran’s establishment continue to hold sway and that the leadership has no interest in reaching a short-term agreement or engaging in negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has already vowed to kill Khamenei’s successor, and Trump stated that the war might not finish until Iran’s government and military are eliminated.
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