{"id":2577861,"date":"2026-03-09T17:01:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T21:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-is-mojtaba-khamenei-irans-new-supreme-leader\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T17:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T21:04:50","slug":"who-is-mojtaba-khamenei-irans-new-supreme-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-is-mojtaba-khamenei-irans-new-supreme-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran&#8217;s new supreme leader?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwho-is-mojtaba-khamenei-irans-new-supreme-leader%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2577861&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Washington Examiner reports that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran\u2019s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran\u2019s next supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts, signaling a hereditary line of succession in a system that critics say or else rejects hereditary rule. The move is described as a break from the Islamic Republic\u2019s founding principles, which are rooted in the Guardianship of the Jurists (Velayat-e Faqih), where leadership is supposed to be held by the most capable Islamic scholar rather then passed down by blood. Some observers, including Zineb Riboua of the Hudson Institute, note that the decision challenges a basic rule of the system, while others point out that the government has effectively adopted a hereditary succession in practice.Iran\u2019s diaspora opposition, notably Maryam rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), denounces Mojtaba\u2019s appointment as turning clerical rule into a hereditary monarchy and accuses him of decades of repression, terrorism, and the export of fundamentalism. Mojtaba is portrayed as a long-time behind-the-scenes power broker with deep ties to Iran\u2019s security and Revolutionary Guard networks, and he is said to have influenced access to his father from within the Supreme Leader\u2019s Office. International reactions include President Donald Trump\u2019s opposition to the move, calling it a \u201cbig mistake,\u201d and Israeli warnings that it will pursue any successors to the supreme leader. The article also notes that the Assembly of Experts had to meet digitally following Israeli strikes on its offices and discusses the potential implications for Iran\u2019s internal repression and its regional policies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Failson or fanatic? A closer look at Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran&rsquo;s new supreme leader<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2527018\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Supreme leadership over <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a>, currently the most dangerous office in the world, now seems to be a hereditary affair.<\/p>\n<p>The Assembly of Experts &mdash; Iran&rsquo;s deliberative body responsible for selecting the nation&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/xi-jinping-bonds-with-kim-jong-un-over-common-ideals-of-socialism-at-first-meeting-in-years\/\" title=\"Xi Jinping bonds with Kim Jong Un over &#039;common ideals&#039; of socialism at first meeting in years\">supreme leader &#038;mdash<\/a>; announced this week that the assassinated Ayatollah <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ali-khamenei\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2865\">Ali Khamenei<\/a> will be succeeded by his son, 56-year-old <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4484850\/iran-names-mojtaba-khamenei-new-supreme-leader\/\">Mojtaba Khamenei<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4485051\/rubio-us-hostage-diplomacy-iran-eviscerted\/\">Rubio warns US will no longer tolerate &#8216;hostage diplomacy&#8217; and claims Iranian military is &#8216;being eviscerated&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4485043\/turkey-heightened-alert-nato-intercepts-second-missile-iran\/\">Turkey on heightened alert after NATO shoots down second Iranian missile in its airspace<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4484917\/oil-prices-near-120-a-barrel-trump-says-small-price-to-pay\/\">Oil prices near $120 a barrel as Trump calls it &lsquo;small price to pay&rsquo; for &lsquo;peace&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>While not a shock to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-poised-to-elect-mass-murderer\/\" title=\"Iran Poised To Elect Mass Murderer\">international observers<\/a>, the decision to select the late ayatollah&rsquo;s son to replace him is a distinct break from the principles of the Islamic Republic &mdash; a violent uprising that succeeded in toppling the system of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4476674\/trump-regime-insider-more-appropriate-lead-iran-than-reza-pahlavi\/\">hereditary monarchy under the shah<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They are violating a basic rule in their system, where the hereditary order is not an Islamic Republic order,&rdquo; Zineb Riboua, research fellow at the Hudson Institute&rsquo;s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This image, taken from a video provided by Iranian state TV, shows Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran&rsquo;s slain supreme leader, who has been named the Islamic Republic&rsquo;s next ruler, authorities announced Monday, March 9, 2026. (Iran state TV via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the Islamic Republic of Iran was established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, the country embraced the rogue holy man&rsquo;s philosophy of Velayat-e Faqih, or the &ldquo;Guardianship of the Jurists.&rdquo; In this system, Islamic legal scholars hold the highest authority in both religious and social affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Under the Islamic Revolutionaries&rsquo; own ideology, it is supposed to be the most competent and well-formed Islamic scholar who leads in a firm, explicit rejection of the hereditary monarchy of the toppled Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.<\/p>\n<p>Maryam Rajavi, president of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.maryam-rajavi.com\/en\/fox-news-mojtaba-khameneis-rise-as-hereditary-monarchy\/\">issued a scathing rebuke of the decision<\/a>, highlighting the irony of Khamenei&rsquo;s father-to-son transfer of power.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Tonight, the absolute clerical rule has effectively turned itself into a hereditary monarchy by placing Mojtaba Khamenei on the throne,&rdquo; Rajavi wrote. &ldquo;But it cannot save the shipwrecked vessel of religious fascism.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The National Council of Resistance of Iran &mdash; born out of the militant, Islamo-Marxist People&rsquo;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran &mdash; is one of many Iranian diaspora opposition groups that have sought the overthrow of the ayatollah for decades.<\/p>\n<p>In the statement written by Rajavi, the group denounced Mojtaba Khamenei&rsquo;s appointment as a recommitment to the Islamic Republic&rsquo;s most repressive ideological tenets.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For more than three decades, Mojtaba Khamenei, alongside his father, has been among the principal architects of repression, the export of fundamentalism and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/terrorism\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"103\">terrorism<\/a>, and the plundering of the Iranian people&rsquo;s wealth,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;In practice, he has long functioned as his father&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/some-thoughts-on-xi-jinpings-third-term\/\" title=\"Some Thoughts on Xi Jinping\u2019s Third Term\">de facto successor<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Police officers stand atop their car, with pictures of the late Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his successor and son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, during a rally in support of him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mojtaba Khamenei has indeed enjoyed an influential career in Tehran under the wing of his late father, though he largely stayed away from formal offices and maneuvered in the background.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Mojtaba has long been an important figure in the Supreme Leader&rsquo;s Office, with some observers alleging that he often influenced and even controlled access to his father. He seemed to operate largely in the shadows even when seeking to shape momentous decisions,&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninstitute.org\/policy-analysis\/what-kind-supreme-leader-would-mojtaba-khamenei-be\">according to<\/a> the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.<\/p>\n<p>The institute further asserts: &ldquo;As part of his long record as a behind-the-scenes power broker in the Office of the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba has cultivated influence across Iran&rsquo;s security, intelligence, military, and religious institutions, including deep ties with [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] networks.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For all the prestige and power that supreme leadership offers, it comes with one <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >significant downside amid &#038;ldquo<\/a>;Operation Epic Fury&rdquo; &mdash; the ayatollah&rsquo;s life is forfeit.<\/p>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> has been explicitly opposed to Mojtaba Khamenei filling his father&rsquo;s shoes, telling <em>Time<\/em> magazine last week that he is &ldquo;not going through this to end up with another Khamenei.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Following the announcement of Mojtaba Khamenei&rsquo;s ascension, Trump was even more blunt.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think they made a big mistake,&rdquo; Trump told NBC on Monday. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s going to last. I think they made a mistake.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People gather to support Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran&rsquo;s supreme leader, in Tehran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4485051\/rubio-us-hostage-diplomacy-iran-eviscerted\/\">RUBIO WARNS US WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE &lsquo;HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY&rsquo; AND CLAIMS IRANIAN MILITARY IS &lsquo;BEING EVISCERATED&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Israeli military has also left no ambiguity about its intentions, warning Iranian leaders: &ldquo;We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor [to the supreme leader] and every person who seeks to appoint a successor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Members of the Assembly of Experts have been forced to meet digitally after the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4478138\/iran-assembly-of-experts-bombed-during-election-next-supreme-leader\/\">Israeli military bombed their offices<\/a> in Tehran and Qom last week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Failson or fanatic? Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran ruler<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2577862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26068074705055.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[73059,75435,75376,33529],"class_list":["post-2577861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-iran-politics","tag-iranian-leadership","tag-mojtaba-khamenei","tag-supreme-leader"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26068074705055.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2577861"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2577865,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577861\/revisions\/2577865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2577862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2577861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2577861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2577861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}