Did Khamenei Oppose Son Mojtaba As Successor In His Will? Report Suggests So

Last Updated:March 11, 2026, 07:17 IST

The late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly in his will expressed that he did not want his son, Mojtaba, to succeed him.

Support for Mojtaba Khamenei becoming Iran’s next Supreme Leader was reportedly limited—not just internationally but also within his own family. Yes, Mojtaba’s appointment was not just opposed by US President Donald Trump, but also by his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to a report by the New York Post, the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in airstrikes on February 28 by the United States, expressed in his will that he did not want his son to succeed him.

Despite the late leader’s will, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) backed Mojtaba’s rise and ultimately pushed him into the position.

According to experts, the elder Khamenei had serious reservations about his son’s suitability for the role and therefore did not want him to be named as his successor.

“In Khamenei’s will, he explicitly asked Mojtaba not to be named as successor," said Khosro Isfahani, research director at the opposition group Union for Democracy, which has ties to Iranian intelligence networks.

According to Isfahani, the late Iranian leader believed his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, lacked the political experience and stature required to lead the country. In Iran, the succession of the supreme leader is normally decided by the Assembly of Experts—an 88-member clerical body tasked with selecting the nation’s top authority.

However, Isfahani claimed that Mojtaba’s appointment did not follow the usual process, suggesting that the selection departed from the traditional procedure used to determine Iran’s leadership.

“Mojtaba is an impotent young cleric who has achieved nothing in terms of political life. All these years, he has been nothing without his father’s name," Isfahani said.

He further claimed that the IRGC pressured the Assembly while it was deliberating last week and ultimately forced the decision to name Mojtaba as the next Supreme Leader of Iran.

Isfahani, citing sources inside Iran, said Mojtaba did not even secure a majority of votes from the council. Pressure from the IRGC reportedly led several clerics to boycott the session at which the successor was formally announced.

“The Assembly of Experts that was supposed to pick the replacement of Khamenei didn’t vote for Mojtaba," Isfahani said, adding, “There was a lot of pushback against him, but under pressure from the IRGC, he was named as the successor."

Isfahani noted that the Iranian military considers Mojtaba easy to control and see him as a “puppet – a blank canvas that they can paint anything on".

Trump Disapproves Of Mojtaba Khamenei

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment over the selection of Iran’s new Supreme Leader and said that Mojtaba Khamenei will not be able to “live in peace". He has expressed his strong disapproval after Iran elected the second son of Ali Khamenei as the new leader.

Prior to Mojtaba’s appointment, Trump insisted that the US should have a say in selecting Iran’s next leader.

Trump said that Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, succeeding his father as the new head of the Islamic republic is “unacceptable" and that he wants someone who would “bring harmony and peace to Iran".

Trump said that making someone a leader who would continue Khamenei’s policies would force the US to be back to war “in five years". “He’s going to have to get approval from us. If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long," the US President said.

News world Did Khamenei Oppose Son Mojtaba As Successor In His Will? Report Suggests So

Read More