Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is viewed as the leading candidate due to his deep ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and his role as his father’s longtime “gatekeeper”.
Opposition outlets like Iran International claimed on March 3 that the Assembly of Experts had already elected him under IRGC pressure, but these reports remain unconfirmed by official Iranian state media.
The Assembly of Experts (the 88-member body responsible for the appointment) reportedly held virtual meetings to discuss the succession, but deliberations have been complicated by the ongoing war with Israel and the US.
Iranian officials are reportedly withholding a formal appointment to protect him from being targeted immediately.
Israel: Any successor will be targeted
On March 3, Israeli forces reportedly struck the Assembly of Experts’ meeting site in the city of Qom to disrupt the succession process.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly declared that any successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be an “unequivocal target for elimination”, regardless of their name or location.
Fact-checkers have flagged AI-generated videos circulating online that falsely show Mojtaba giving an “inaugural speech” as the new leader.
A former IRGC officer and influential behind-the-scenes powerbroker, Khamenei’s selection, if official, marks the first father-to-son succession in the history of the Islamic Republic.
The election was conducted amid reports of intense pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Until the formal transition is complete, an Interim Leadership Council consisting of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been managing state affairs.
Trump’s demands for “unconditional surrender”
US President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric, declaring that no deal will be reached to end the ongoing conflict without Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.
Trump stated that the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei would be “unacceptable”. He insisted that the US must have a say in selecting “GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s)” for the country.
Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.
President Trump
He promised that if Iran complies and installs new leadership, the US and its allies will help rebuild the country, making it “economically bigger, better, and stronger”.
He claimed that the US would likely return to war within five years if no acceptable leadership was chosen.
He urged Iran’s armed forces to surrender or face the consequences, while calling on the country’s diplomats to seek asylum at their foreign postings, promising “total immunity”.
