Death of one Khamenei is not the end of Khamenei supremacy

Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening hours of the US-Israel strike on Iran nine days ago. The appointment signals that hardliners remain firmly in control even as the conflict has pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel and sent Asian stock markets lower.

Mojtaba, 56, spent most of his life away from public view, building influence quietly within Iran’s security establishment, the clergy and sections of the business elite. He now assumes power at a moment of deep instability, facing a US-Israeli military campaign and a domestic environment where many citizens want the system his father dominated for decades to end.

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Once sanctioned by the US

Born in Mashhad in 1969, Mojtaba studied theology in Qom and holds the clerical rank of Hujjat al-Islam, though he was presented as an ayatollah upon assuming the role. The United States sanctioned him in 2019, accusing him of advancing his father’s regional ambitions and domestic repression despite holding no elected office.

Opponents have also accused him of involvement in the crackdown on protests following the disputed 2009 re-election of the then President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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His rise comes as the political order created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution faces its biggest challenge in decades. Critics say the new leader represents the same power structure that protesters have repeatedly opposed, citing repression, corruption and the privileges enjoyed by elite families known as aghazadeh, the children of powerful officials.

Proximity to the elder Khamenei long meant access to influence and resources. As per a Bloomberg report, Mojtaba accumulated wealth and international property holdings over the years. These allegations have reinforced claims of cronyism within the ruling system.

The appointment also suggests Tehran is unlikely to accept US President Donald Trump’s demand that Iran surrender. Analysts expect Mojtaba to continue his father’s hardline policies, prioritising Islamic rule and an anti-US foreign policy. He may also seek to avenge the deaths of his father, mother and wife in the February 28 strikes, said Bloomberg.

After days of speculation and internal disagreements, the Assembly of Experts, the 88-member clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader, confirmed the appointment shortly after midnight on Monday. Although the Islamic Republic rejected monarchy after the fall of the Shah, the move effectively creates a hereditary transfer of power.

Support from the power echelons

A veteran of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, Mojtaba is widely viewed as close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which pledged loyalty soon after the announcement. Iran’s president, armed forces and judiciary also endorsed him within hours.

The position of supreme leader remains the most powerful office in Iran, with authority over the government, military and religious establishment. Since the revolution, the role has been held by only two leaders before Mojtaba — Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei.

Israel has already warned that it will continue to target any Iranian leader directing the war. For Iran’s leadership, however, the message of the transition is clear: the death of Ali Khamenei has not ended the system he built. The regime has chosen continuity and confrontation as conflict threatens to reshape the region.

(With inputs from agencies)