Iran’s clerical establishment has reportedly selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of Iran following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in a development that could escalate tensions in the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
According to reports, Iranian state media confirmed that members of the clerical body responsible for appointing the country’s highest authority announced Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection on Sunday. The 56-year-old cleric becomes the first leader of the Islamic Republic to inherit the position directly from his father since the Iranian Revolution overthrew the country’s monarchy.
The succession follows reports that Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 37 years, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28, at the start of the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Analysts say the development could trigger significant geopolitical tensions, especially after Donald Trump warned that such a succession would be unacceptable. Trump reportedly stated that Iran’s new leader “is not going to last long” if Tehran failed to secure Washington’s approval, insisting the United States should have a role in determining Iran’s political future.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces issued a warning in Farsi on social media, declaring it would continue targeting individuals involved in the appointment of a successor to Ali Khamenei. The statement said Israel would pursue “every successor of Ali Khamenei and every person who sought to appoint one.”
Despite his influence within Iran’s political establishment, Mojtaba Khamenei has never held elected office or formally occupied a senior government position. Born in 1969 in Mashhad, he studied theology in the seminaries of Qom and gradually built influence within his father’s office, where he was regarded as part of a small inner circle controlling political access to the Supreme Leader.
Over the years, he developed close ties with conservative clerics and elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, relationships analysts believe strengthened his standing within the ruling establishment.
His name also surfaced during the disputed 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, when reformist figures accused him of supporting the security crackdown on demonstrators.
Supporters argue that Mojtaba represents continuity with the ideological path established by Ruhollah Khomeini and maintained by his father. Critics, however, warn that his emergence raises concerns about increasing concentration of power within a narrow elite and the possibility of a hereditary leadership structure.
The announcement comes amid rising tensions across the Middle East. Iran has threatened to strike oil facilities in neighbouring countries following Israeli attacks on several energy sites around Tehran, which sent thick smoke across the capital and raised fears of disruptions to global oil supplies.
Reports also indicate that Iranian strikes targeted several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Saudi authorities said they intercepted 15 drones, while strikes in Bahrain caused material damage to a key desalination facility.
In Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, authorities reported that two people were killed and 12 others injured after a projectile struck a residential area.
Observers say Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment may be aimed at projecting stability and continuity at a time when Iran is facing mounting military and diplomatic pressure from Western nations and regional rivals.
