Media photo. The son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been appointed the new Supreme Leader of Iran.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who is the second child in the family, was born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad, one of the holiest cities for Shiites. He studied theology and has been training at a religious seminary in Qom since 1999, where he became a cleric and taught theology. In 2004, he married the daughter of the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Gholam-Ali Adeli.
During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency (2005–2013), Mojtaba Khamenei actively supported him. This period is marked by a rollback of liberal reforms and an acceleration of the country's nuclear program, as well as his participation in the elections of 2005 and 2009.
Experts emphasized that Khamenei played an important role in suppressing the protests that began in June 2009 after the elections. In the past, he also controlled significant financial assets in Ayandeh Bank, including hotels in Europe and real estate in the UK, Germany, and the UAE.
With the imposition of US sanctions in November 2019, Khamenei was blacklisted due to his connections with Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, which confirmed his involvement in the promoted destabilizing policies.
In September 2022, discussions about Ali Khamenei's health arose, as he had hardly appeared in public. Among the possible successors were then-President Ebrahim Raisi and the lesser-known Mojtaba Khamenei. Observers noted that the selection of the latter could lead to conflicts within the Iranian leadership, as the Constitution does not make the position of Supreme Leader hereditary.
In January 2026, amid anti-government protests, The Times reported on Ali Khamenei's plans to leave Iran, accompanied by family members, including Mojtaba Khamenei.
