US EditionIran Names Slain Supreme Leader’s Son as Successor, in a Defiant Message to Trump
Mojtaba Khamenei, with strong ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was appointed to continue hard-line rule after his father's assassination, signaling regime continuity.
- On Sunday, the Tehran-based Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's third supreme leader on the first night of Laylat al-Qadr.
- In recent years, Mojtaba Khamenei worked in his father's office and was sanctioned in 2019 by the U.S. Treasury for links to the Revolutionary Guard to influence regional politics.
- Critics note his role in the 2005 election when Mojtaba Khamenei helped push Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidential bid, while 2009 protesters explicitly rejected his rule and he never achieved the Mujtahid rank.
- Observers say the decision signals continuity at home and defiance abroad, as Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, warned it dims hopes for democratic change under Iran's hard-line leadership.
- The move appears to mirror a dynastic turn, as many see it resembling hereditary succession rejected by the 1979 Iranian revolution; Iranian state media released a documentary and regime supporters chanted in Tehran.
11 Articles
11 Articles
The appointment of Mojtaba Jameneí as the new Iranian supreme leader poses not only a challenge to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, but also an unequivocal message from the harshest wing of the Ayatollás regime about his willingness to resist the pressure of the White House tenant, who demands unconditional surrender from Tehran. Jameneí is the son of the supreme leader killed in an Israeli bombing on February 28—the first day o…
Iran appoints late leader’s son as new ruler in sign of continuity
The choice of Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as Iran’s supreme leader signals that hardliners remain in charge in Tehran, analysts said. The 56-year-old has close ties to the security establishment and, despite having no previous government or senior clerical role, has long been a key power broker, The Washington Post reported. US and Israeli attacks have devastated Iran’s leadership and military, but have yet to weaken the regime’s grip…
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Monday named hardliner Ayatollah Mukhta Khamenei to succeed his late father as supreme leader, signaling that there will be no truce in the U.S.-led war…
abc12/WJRT
Iran names slain supreme leader’s son as successor, in a defiant message to Trump
When millions of Iranians poured into the streets in 1979 to end the rule of the former shah, their revolution seemed to have put an end to the practice of passing power from father to son. Not so.
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