Who is Mojtaba Khamenei: The shadow power behind Iran's new dynastic turn
Mojtaba Khamenei has long been considered one of the most influential figures in Tehran, despite rarely appearing in public or holding formal political office.
In a move that marks one of the most consequential shifts in the history of the Islamic Republic, the Assembly of Experts has reportedly elected Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader today (4 March).
The decision follows the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in a joint US-Israeli strike on his Tehran compound on 28 February.
The elevation of the 56-year-old Mojtaba effectively transfers power within the same family for the first time since the 1979 revolution, fuelling criticism that the revolutionary system is evolving toward dynastic rule, reports Iran International.
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According to informed sources, the Assembly of Experts made the choice under significant pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
A gatekeeper in the shadows
Mojtaba Khamenei has long been considered one of the most influential figures in Tehran, despite rarely appearing in public or holding formal political office.
Operating from within the Office of the Supreme Leader, he served as a central power broker and gatekeeper for his father.
Analysts describe him as an opaque but central architect of the regime's power structure.
Arash Azizi, an Iran analyst, told Iran International that Mojtaba has been viewed with deep suspicion by democratic movements since 2009, when he was rumoured to have helped orchestrate the repression of protesters.
His influence is rooted in deep ties with the IRGC, forged during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s while serving in the Habib Battalion.
Many of his wartime comrades now hold senior positions in Iran's security and intelligence apparatus.
Legal and religious hurdles
The appointment is subject to significant constitutional and religious scrutiny.
Iran's constitution requires the supreme leader to be a senior religious authority with deep knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and to possess executive administrative experience.
Mojtaba, however, does not hold the rank of Ayatollah (high-ranking Twelver Shi'a clergy) and is not a Mujtahid (high-ranking Shi'a scholar).
He also lacks any formal administrative or executive record.
Furthermore, father-son succession is generally viewed negatively within Iran's Shiite clerical establishment.
Reports by Reuters and Hindustan Times state that even the late Ali Khamenei had excluded Mojtaba from a list of potential successors compiled last year.
Wealth and global assets
Despite being sanctioned by the US in 2019, Mojtaba reportedly oversees a vast investment empire.
According to a Hindustan Times report, citing Bloomberg, he has managed to channel billions of dollars into Western markets and holds a global property portfolio.
Transparency International UK has previously highlighted his investments, which reportedly include a luxury British property worth over $138 million and significant funds in Swiss bank accounts.
A family in crisis
Mojtaba's rise comes at a time of immense personal and national loss.
While he survived the recent strike on the Tehran compound, the attack claimed the lives of the late supreme leader, as well as his wife, daughter, grandchild, son-in-law, and Mojtaba's own wife, Zahra Haddad-Adel.
Zahra was the daughter of Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, a prominent conservative politician.
The couple, who reportedly married in 2004, had three children, though few details about them are public.
