March 3, 2026, 10:32 p.mMarch 3, 2026, 10:36 p.m
Mojtaba Khamenei, photographed in 2019.Image: tasnim news/wikimedia commons
The son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Motjaba Khamenei, has been chosen as Iran’s new supreme leader, according to media reports. Among other things, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, citing local sources.
Accordingly, the 56-year-old was elected as his father’s successor by the so-called “Council of Experts”. The council conducted the election online, especially since its normal meeting building was bombed by Israel on Tuesday afternoon.
Motyaba Khamenei has long been considered an important figure in the background of the mullahs’ regime. After the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash in 2024, he was already treated by various media as a potential successor to the Ayatollah. (cpf)
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