Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is among the leading contenders to succeed his father as head of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The new supreme leader will be appointed by the top clerical body, the Assembly of Experts. Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly, told Iranian state media on Wednesday that they hope to vote “at the earliest opportunity". ”.
Other contenders for the position include Alireza Arafi, one of the three members of the interim council currently running the country, hardliner Mohsen Araki, and even Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founder in 1979.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, would represent a hereditary succession, a concept his father had rejected in 2024. The Islamic Republic abolished Iran’s multi-century royal dynasty under the shah.
Born on 8 September 1969 in the holy city of Mashhad, Mojtaba is one of Ali Khamenei’s six children. The former supreme leader died aged 86 on Saturday in Tehran during the opening US-Israeli missile strikes of the current conflict.
Due to his discretion at official events and in the media, Mojtaba’s influence has been widely speculated on both inside Iran and in diplomatic circles. He is the only child of Ali Khamenei to hold a public role, despite having no official government post.
The cleric, distinguished by a salt-and-pepper beard and the black turban of the “seyyed” — descendants of the Prophet Mohammed — has been described by some as the real power behind the scenes in Iran. He is regarded as close to conservatives, particularly due to his ties with the, a relationship stemming from his service in a combat unit at the end of the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988).
### Security force links
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term. The department stated that he acted as the supreme leader “despite never being elected or appointed to a government position aside from work in his father’s office”.
Ali Khamenei had “delegated a part of his leadership responsibilities” to his son, who worked closely with Iranian security forces “to advance his father’s destabilising regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives", the Treasury said.
Opponents have accused Mojtaba of involvement in the violent crackdown following the re-election of ultra-conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, which sparked widespread protests.
An investigation by Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources and Western intelligence, estimated Mojtaba Khamenei’s wealth at more than $100 million. Funds from oil sales were reportedly invested in luxury British real estate, European hotels, and property in Dubai via shell companies in tax havens.
On the religious front, Mojtaba studied theology in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, where he also taught. He holds the clerical rank of Hujjat al-Islam, a mid-ranking title below Ayatollah.
His wife, Zahra Haddad-Adel, reportedly died in the same US-Israeli strikes that killed the supreme leader, according to Iranian authorities.
Israel Katz warned on Wednesday that any successor to Ali Khamenei would become “a target”.
The Assembly of Experts has 88 members, elected every eight years. It has overseen only one leadership transition, when Khamenei was selected in 1989 following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini.
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