By Obinna Uballa
Mojtaba Khamenei has been named Iran’s new supreme leader, according to Iranian state media, succeeding his father Ali Khamenei who was killed during the first wave of United States and Israeli strikes on Tehran.
The announcement was made in a statement from the Assembly of Experts, which was read on state television. The body said the leadership selection process continued despite wartime conditions and attacks on its facilities.
“Despite the acute wartime conditions and direct threats from enemies against this institution… the process of selecting and introducing the leadership of the Islamic system did not pause even for a moment,” the statement said.
Following the announcement, the presenter on state TV proclaimed: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Khamenei is the leader.”
The succession comes at a time of escalating conflict across the Middle East. The death of the elder Khamenei reportedly occurred during a coordinated wave of American and Israeli strikes targeting key Iranian military and political sites in Tehran.
Meanwhile, the regional conflict continues to claim lives. The United States Central Command said a seventh US service member has died from injuries sustained during Iran’s initial retaliatory attacks across the Middle East last week.
Elsewhere in the region, Israeli strikes in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon have pushed the death toll to nearly 400, according to the country’s health minister. Hospitals in southern Lebanon reportedly received casualties and bodies early Sunday after air strikes hit villages in the region.
Residents in Tehran also described intense bombardments overnight, including strikes on oil depots that sent thick black smoke across parts of the city.
One woman told reporters the destruction was overwhelming. “You can smell the burning,” she said, describing scenes after fuel facilities were struck.
A powerful but discreet figure
Born in 1969 in Mashhad, Mojtaba Khamenei is the second son of the late supreme leader and one of six children in the family.
He attended the Alavi School in Tehran before later moving to Qom to pursue advanced religious studies.
Unlike many senior figures in Iran’s political system, Mojtaba Khamenei has never held a formal government position and has largely remained out of the public spotlight. He rarely gives speeches and very few photographs or videos of him have been published.
Despite this low profile, analysts and diplomats have long described him as an influential figure within Iran’s political establishment.
He has been widely believed to maintain close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia, while critics have accused him of playing a behind-the-scenes role in key political decisions, including presidential elections.
In 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on him as part of a group accused of acting on behalf of the supreme leader.
His appointment may further heighten tensions with Western powers. US President Donald Trump has previously warned against Mojtaba Khamenei assuming the leadership role.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me,” Trump said earlier this week, suggesting that any successor chosen without Washington’s approval would face significant opposition.
