Tuesday Mar 10, 2026
Tuesday Mar 10, 2026
Tuesday, 10 March 2026 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Mojtaba Khamenei
Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, about a week after the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint United States-Israeli strikes that have plunged the entire region into a sprawling war.
The Assembly of Experts named the 56-year-old, who will now be charged with leading Iran through the biggest crisis in its 47-year history, as his father’s successor on Sunday.
Key political leaders, the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the armed forces were quick to pledge their backing to the new leader.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said the appointment heralded a “new era of dignity and strength” for the nation. “This valuable choice is a manifestation of the will of the Islamic nation to consolidate national unity; a unity that, like a solid barrier, has made the Iranian nation resistant to the conspiracies of the enemies,” he said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also congratulated the new leader. “We pledge that, in defence of the rights of the great Iranian nation, the advancement of national interests and security, and the realisation of the lofty goals of the Islamic revolution, we shall not falter for a moment,” he wrote.
Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani who has been tasked with steering Iran’s security strategy since the US and Israel launched their all-out offensive on 28 February, called for unity around the new supreme leader.
The head of Iran’s powerful Expediency Council Sadiq Larijani, also joined the chorus of political leaders expressing support for the appointment, saying it reaffirmed the need to continue in the “luminous” path of Iran’s first supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf welcomed the choice, saying that following the new supreme leader was a “religious and national duty”, while a statement from the defence council said, “We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop of our blood.”
Mojtaba Khamenei has never run for office or been subjected to a public vote, but has long been a highly influential figure in the inner circle of the supreme leader, cultivating deep ties to the IRGC.
In recent years, Khamenei had increasingly been touted as a potential replacement for his father, who had been in power since 1989. His selection could be a sign that more hardline factions in Iran’s establishment retain power, and could indicate that the government has little desire to agree to a deal or negotiations in the short term as the war enters its second week.
The selection of Khamenei’s son is certain to enrage US President Donald Trump, who had previously rejected him as a candidate. The Times of Israel on Monday reported that Trump refused to comment on the Iranian appointment during an interview, only saying: “We’ll see what happens.”
The Israeli military has already threatened to kill any replacement for Khamenei, while Trump said the war may only end once Iran’s military and leaders have been wiped out.
