Mojtaba Khamenei Likely to Become Iran’s Next Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been reported as the next candidate for the position, according to state media. The announcement came shortly after the death of Ayatollah Khamenei on February 28, 2026, following joint strikes by Israel and the United States. This selection marks a significant shift in Iran’s political landscape, as the country’s establishment has historically resisted hereditary succession from father to son. Mojtaba Khamenei, born on September 6, 1969, in Mashhad, is the second son of Ayatollah Khamenei and Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh. He has five siblings, including three brothers and two sisters. His early life was shaped by his father’s resistance against the Shah of Iran’s monarchy, which culminated in the 1979 revolution and Ayatollah Khamenei’s rise to power. Mojtaba’s childhood was marked by frequent raids and turmoil due to his father’s repeated arrests by the Shah’s secret police, SAVAK. After the revolution, the family relocated to Tehran, where Mojtaba attended Alavi High School. He later studied under religious conservatives in Qom, Iran’s center for Shi’ite theological learning, earning the clerical rank of Hojjatoleslam. He joined the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after completing his education, forming lasting ties with military figures who later held high-ranking positions. Mojtaba also served in the Habib Battalion during the 1987-88 Iraq-Israel war. Despite his military and clerical background, Mojtaba is not considered a major leader within Iran’s establishment or a prominent religious scholar. He has never held a formal government post and has rarely spoken publicly.#ayatollah_ali_khamenei #mojtaba_khamenei #iranian_revolutionary_guard_corps #mashhad #qom
