Mojtaba Khamenei Announced as Iran’s Third Supreme Leader

Iran’s Assembly of Experts officially announced Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The appointment came ten days after Ali Khamenei was killed in a United States–Israeli strike on 28/02/2026, during the early phase of the ongoing 2026 Iran war. The decision was made by the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the constitutional clerical body responsible for selecting and supervising Iran’s Supreme Leader when the position becomes vacant. The assembly convened in early March and conducted deliberations and voting before announcing Mojtaba Khamenei as the successor. Under Iran’s constitutional framework, the Supreme Leader holds the highest authority in the country, overseeing the armed forces, judiciary, state broadcasting system, and key strategic policies. Mojtaba Khamenei, born 08/09/1969 in Mashhad, is a cleric educated at the Qom seminary and has maintained a relatively low public profile despite years of influence inside his father’s office. He previously held roles connected to the political and security affairs office of the Supreme Leader and developed close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Although he never held elected office, he was widely considered a potential successor in the years preceding the leadership transition. The leadership transition occurred during a period of escalating regional conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Following the announcement, senior Iranian political and military institutions publicly pledged allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, and the country moved from an interim leadership council established after Ali Khamenei’s death to a permanent leadership structure. His appointment marks the third leadership transition in the Islamic Republic since 1979, following Ruhollah Khomeini, who led Iran from the 1979 revolution until his death in 1989, and Ali Khamenei, who served as Supreme Leader from 1989 until February 2026.