17 hours ago
Last Updated:March 09, 2026, 05:44 IST
The representatives of the Assembly of Experts appointed and introduced Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the Third Leader of Iran.
Mojtaba Khamenei named as Iran's Supreme Leader. (Image: AP)
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Ali Khamenei, has been appointed Iran’s new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts.
The representatives of the Assembly of Experts appointed and introduced Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the Third Leader of the Sacred Islamic Republic of Iran under Article 108 of the Constitution, Iranian state media reported on Monday.
“By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the assembly said in a statement issued just after midnight Tehran time.
Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was being viewed as the potential successor to his father, who was killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes that triggered the ongoing armed conflict in West Asia.
Mojtaba’s appointment is expected to draw the ire of US President Donald Trump, who had expressed his desire to be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next Supreme Leader following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Criticising the possible succession of the son of the late supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump had said, “They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela," Trump was quoted by Axios.
Trump described Mojtaba Khamenei as “unacceptable" and said he would prefer a leader who could bring “harmony and peace" to Iran, warning that a continuation of his father’s policies could lead to renewed conflict with the United States in the future.
Meanwhile, Israel, ahead of the announcement, had threatened to target whoever was chosen as Iran’s new Supreme Leader.
First Published:
March 09, 2026, 05:21 IST
News world Khamenei's Son Mojtaba Named Iran's New Supreme Leader
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