Tehran: Following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports suggest that his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could emerge as his successor.
Mojtaba Khamenei is the second among six children of the late Supreme Leader. According to reports, Iran’s powerful clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, is expected to formally announce the name of the next Supreme Leader after the completion of funeral ceremonies.
Role of the Supreme Leader in IranIn Iran’s political system, the Supreme Leader holds authority above the President and is the highest-ranking political and religious figure in the country. Under the Iranian Constitution, the Supreme Leader determines the country’s general policies and has the final say in both domestic and foreign affairs.
The Supreme Leader also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and exercises control over the judiciary, intelligence services, state media, and key security institutions. The power to appoint or dismiss the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also rests with the Supreme Leader.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei became Iran’s second Supreme Leader in 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. Khomeini had served as Iran’s first Supreme Leader from the 1979 Islamic Revolution until his death in 1989.
For nearly 35 years, Khamenei remained the central authority behind Iran’s most significant political, military, and foreign policy decisions.
The formal succession process and the future direction of Iran now remain closely watched by both domestic observers and the international community.
