Mohtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader of Iran, is the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This decision was made by 88 representatives of the highest Shia clergy.
According to the New York Times, Mohtaba, who is 56 years old, was born in 1969 in Mashhad—a significant religious center in Iran—ten years before the formation of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
Since 1987, he began serving in the Islamic armed forces, coinciding with the final stages of the war with Iraq, which lasted from 1980 to 1988. He has a reputation as a close associate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
After his father's appointment as Supreme Leader in 1989, Mohtaba continued his education under respected clerics in Qom and worked in a religious seminary, where he earned respect due to his father's influence. In 2004, he married the daughter of the Chairman of the Iranian Parliament, Gholam-Ali Adeli.
Despite his connection to high positions, Mohtaba remained in the shadows for a long time, managing the office of the Supreme Leader and rarely appearing in the news.
In 2005, after the victory of conservative candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the elections, reformists accused Khamenei of manipulating the process to ensure his candidate's victory. Mehdi Karroubi, one of Ahmadinejad's rivals, criticized Mohtaba, claiming that he interfered in the electoral process as the "son of the master." To which the Supreme Leader responded that Mohtaba is "the master himself, not the son of the master."
The Assembly of Experts discussed issues of succession for the Supreme Leader in 2024, at which time Khamenei stated that his son should not be a candidate for this position.
According to Reuters, Mohtaba Khamenei is a supporter of a hardline conservative direction, like his father, and openly supports strict policies regarding opposition and external threats. He has never held official positions but is considered an influential figure in political circles.
Critics of his role in politics emphasize that dynastic politics in the country is unacceptable. Mohtaba, wearing a black turban of a Sayyid, indicates his family's descent from the Prophet Muhammad.
U.S. sanctions were imposed against him in 2019.
In January, Bloomberg reported that he managed an investment empire, including Swiss bank accounts and elite real estate in the UK worth over $100 million, despite the restrictions.
Mohtaba has three children with his wife Zahra Haddad-Adel. As reported by the Iranian government, his wife, mother Mansure Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, and son were killed in recent airstrikes, as well as his father.
