Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? ( Mojtaba)

.Tehran: Big news has emerged from Iran. Iran has found its new Supreme Leader. According to media reports, Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba     ( Mojtaba)  Khamenei, has been elected as Iran’s Supreme Leader. Iran International, citing reliable sources, reported, “The Assembly of Experts has chosen Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, as the next Supreme Leader.”

The report, citing sources, also stated that Mojtaba’s election was made under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It is noteworthy that Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli operation against Iran. Since his death, Mojtaba Khamenei had been a strong contender for the position of Supreme Leader. It should be noted that Iran’s Supreme Leader has final authority over major decisions in the country, including matters of war, peace, and the country’s controversial nuclear program.

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Khamenei. Mojtaba is 56 years old and a Shia cleric. He has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, although he has never held an elected or formal government position.

Despite not holding the rank of a senior cleric or an official position, Mojtaba has always been believed to have considerable behind-the-scenes influence within the regime.

An important point about Mojtaba is that he served in the Iranian armed forces during the Iran-Iraq War. In 2019, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, stating that he acted officially on his father’s behalf, even though he was never elected or formally appointed.

Khamenei himself probably didn’t want this. Surprisingly, Khamenei excluded his son from a shortlist of potential successors compiled last year. One of the main reasons for this was that within Iran’s Shia religious establishment, the transfer of power from father to son is not viewed favorably.