Iran clerics name Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader
Mar 8th 2026
State media and officials say Iran’s clerical Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, a decision tied to IRGC influence and contested by some clerics amid security concerns.
- Iran’s Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as supreme leader, state media reported.
- Mojtaba is a mid ranking cleric with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
- The selection followed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
- Officials say the IRGC applied heavy pressure and the assembly met mostly online to decide the succession.
- The announcement was delayed amid security fears that Mojtaba could be targeted and amid internal disputes over his religious legitimacy and possible hereditary succession.